CASHIER'S 
SCRAP- 
BOOK 


AN  DIEGO 


11BWW 

ITf  OF  CALIFORNIA,  SAM  DliW 
|A  JQLIA  CAUFOWiiA 


SECRETARY  OF  TREASURY. — Page  170. 


CASHIER'S  SCRAP-BOOK; 

BANK     NOTES, 

NEV,  >LD, 

FOR    GENERAL    CIRCULATION. 


A  PORTFOLIO  OF  BANK  ANECDOTES  AND  INCIDa 
QUEER,  CURIOUS,  ODD,  LUDICROUS,  TOl'i  . 

POETRY  BY  AND  ABOUT  BANKERS;  "CAPITAL"  ITEMS:   CONVERSA- 
TIONS WITH  CUSTOMERS,  GENKK  u, 
INTEREST   AB>                                             L>   FROM    ALL 
WORLD,  DURING  A  i 
YEARS   I 


•  RTRAITS. 


NEW     YORK 

Copyright,  !S1».k7 

G.    W.    Carleton    ^  -'ishers, 

LONDON       - 


OUR 


CASHIER'S  SCRAP-BOOK; 

BEING 

BANK     NOTES, 

NEW  AND  OLD, 

FOR    GENERAL    CIRCULATION. 


A  PORTFOLIO  OF  BANK  ANECDOTES  AND  INCIDENTS, 

QUEER,  CURIOUS,  ODD,  LUDICROUS,  TOUCHING. 

POETRY  BY  AND  ABOUT  BANKERS;  "CAPITAL"  ITEMS;   CONVERSA- 
TIONS WITH  CUSTOMERS,  AND  FACTS  AND  STATISTICS  OF  GENER  \L 
INTEREST   ABOUT    BANKS,    ACCUMULATED   FROM   ALL   THE 
WORLD,  DURING  A  PERSONAL  EXPERIENCE  OF  TEN 
YEARS   BEHIND  A    BANK    COUNTER. 


COMPILED   BY 

H.    C.    PERCY, 

Cashier  of  the  Home   Savings  Bank,  Norfolk^    Va. 


WITH   ILLUSTRATIONS  AND  PORTRAITS. 


N  EW     YORK  : 

Copyright,  1879,  by 

G.    W.    Carleton    &    Co.,    Publishers ', 

LONDON  :   S.    LOW,   SON  &   CO. 

MDCCCLXXIX. 


Pebtcatton. 


TO    THE    ARMY    OF    BANK     CASHIERS, 

THEIR  CLERKS,  MESSENGERS  AND  ASSISTANTS, 

AND 
TO    THE    DEAR    PUBLIC    WHO    HANDLE    OUR    MONEY, 

AND  WHO  KEEP,   OR  OUGHT  TO  KEEP, 

BANK    ACCOUNTS, 
IN  THE  HOPE  THAT  THEY  MAY  PROVE  ENTERTAINING  AND  INSTRUCTIVE, 

THESE   "BANK  NOTES" 
ARE  RESPECTFULLY  INSCRIBED,  BY 

THE  COMPILER. 


"Thare  iz  advice  enuff  now  laying  around  loose  to 
run  three  just  such  worlds  as  this ;  what  we  are  suffering 
most  for  is  sum  more  good  examples." 

— JOSH  BILLINGS. 


"A  single  farthing  is  the  semina  of  wealth — the  seed 
of  a  golden  progeny."  — ANON. 


'  The  contents  of  his  book  seemed  to  be  as  hetero- 
geneous as  those  of  the  witches'  caldron  in  Macbeth. 
It  was  here  a  finger  and  there  a  thumb,  toe  of  frog  and 
blind-worm's  sting,  with  his  own  gossip  poured  in  like 
'  baboons'  blood,'  to  make  the  medley  'slab  and  good."' 

— IRVING. 


CONTENTS. 


POET  BANKERS. 

Samuel  Rogers.  PAQB 

The  School-House X7 

Melancholy • *7 

On  a  Tear l8 


A  Wish. 


18 


Venice 

To  the  Butterfly 2O 

Pleasure 2O 

Charles  Sprague. 

On  the  Death  of  Charles  James 

Curiosity 23 

The  Winged  Worshippers. 25 

To  My  Cigar 2O 

William  Roscoe. 

On  Parting  with  His  Books 29 

Edmund  Clarence  Stedman  (with portrait). 

Toujours  Amour 

The  Doorstep 

"The  Undiscovered  Country" 33 

Israel  Freyer's  Bid  for  Gold - 34 

Hiram  Rich. 

A  Summer  Mood 

What  the  Sea  would  Say 39 

Miscellaneous  Poems. 

To  My  Absent  Wife.     B.  F.  C 4O 

To .     B.  F.  C 41 

Birthday  Thoughts 43 

A  Prayer 44 

v 


vi  Contents. 

PAGE 

The  Ballad  of  the  Economical  Young  Man 45 

Bank  Logic 48 

The  Old  Steel  Pen 49 

The  Teller's  Song  of  the  Bank 53 

How  to  Get  Rich 54 

Silver  Jingle 55 

Accursed  Debt! 55 

The  Ancient  Book-keeper 56 

A  Monody  on  Money, 57 

Mother  Goose  in  Wall  Street 59 

The  Popular  Creed — Dimes  and  Dollars 60 

On  a  Postal  Card 62 

A  Casus  Anatomicus 63 

A  Hint  to  Young  Men 64 

In  Memoriam — Confederate  Notes , .  65 

A  New  Industry 66 

Croesus 68 

Gold 69 

Youth  and  Age 70 

HUMOROUS  CLIPPINGS. 

Humor  of  Cashiers'  Names 71 

Queer  Bank  Titles 72 

Working  Both  Ways — Bank  Rules 73 

Mistaken  Identity 78 

A  Common  Incident 79 

The  Marrying  Bank 79 

Red  Bank,  N.  J 80 

Facial  Expression 80 

Cheap  Silver 80 

An  Irish  Affidavit 82 

Responsibility  of  the  Other  Fellow 83 

The  Wise  and  Foolish  Burglars 84 

Chattel  Mortgages 84 

Every  Man  to  His  Trade 85 

The  Procrastinating  Broker 85 

Smart  Boys 86 

Rothschild's  Ride 86 

A  Kansas  Incident 88 

Not  Upset 88 


Contents.  km 

PAGE 

The  Merchant  of  Venice 88 

He  Had  His  Receipt 89 

Cashier  and   Runner 91 

A  Cooke  Item . .     91 

An  Irish  Bull 92 

Interesting  Law 92 

Overmuch  Precaution 93 

A  Financial  Puzzle 93 

Judicial  Resolutions 94 

Had  to  Pay  "  Alle  Same  " 94 

Burning  a  Banker's  Notes 95 

Banks  Failing 96 

Large  Bonds 96 

The  Widow's  Protest 97 

Disgusted  with  Banks 98 

Final  Argument  at  a  Bank  Counter 99 

Bail-Room  Time-Table 100 

German  Financial  Operation 100 

Female  Financiering 102 

Teller  who  Knew  His  Business 102 

"Which  Maiden  Name?" 103 

Par 103 

Scotch  Simplicity 104 

How  They  Fixed  It .. 104 

The  Grasshopper  and  the  Ant 105 

Doctor  G.  Jones 106 

Very  Hopeful  Investment 107 

Hoosier  English 109 

Banks  of  Ease 109 

Old  Vinter's  Bank  Bills in 

Business  and  Beauty in 

Bluff  Identification 112 

Indorser's  Qualifications 112 

Hibernian's  Note 113 

Panic  Blunders — Wrong  Certificate 113 

Dutchman's  Gold  Safe  at  Last 114 

The  Disappointed  Banker 116 

A  Minor  Distinction 117 

The  Cashier's  Delight 117 

A  New  York  Deal 119 


viii  Contents. 

PAGE 

An  Unsatisfactory  Answer 120 

Chinese  Time , .   121 

A  Queer  Toast 122 

CORRESPONDENCE. 

Specimen  Letter 123 

Almost  a  Run 124 

Scripture  Cipher 125 

Satisfactory  Identification 125 

Sarcastic 126 

From  Iowa 128 

A  Lady  Bank  President 129 

From  a  Freedman's  Bank  Cashier 129 

A  Freedman's  Letter 130 

Louisville  Experiences 131 

Banking  in  Colorado 135 

A  Minnesota  Incident  of  the  Panic .^136 

How  Easy  to  be  Mistaken 137 

From  Oneida,  N.  Y 138 

From  Auburn,  Ind 139 

From  Canada 139 

Spicy  Correspondence 140 

From  the  Maine  Sav.  Bank 143 

Dry  Notes , 144 

Soft  Words  for  Bank  Directors 145 

To  all  Editors 145 

Nasby  on  Greenbackism 146 

Ex-Treasurer  Spinner 147 

The  Oldest  Report 149 

MATTERS  OF  INTEREST. 

A  Mortgage 151 

A  Curious  Puzzle 152 

How  Interest  Eats 152 

William  Penn's  Maxim 153 

Compound  Interest 153 

Best  Interest  Rule 155 

One  Thing  an  Ape  Can  Do 155 

Eight  Per  Cent,  per  Month 156 

Fiat  Money 157 


Contents.  ix 


Worth  Remembering 157 

Usury  and  Interest 158 

COUNTERFEITS  AND. ROGUES. 

Oriental  Bogus 159 

A  Clever  Cheat 159 

A  Plucky  Cashier 161 

A  Clever  Swindle 162 

Bold  Robbery 162 

Yochantsoff 163 

The  Heathen  Chinee 164 

Disgusted  with  Men 164 

Dogs  Preferred 164 

Rousing  Burglary  at  Fishkill 165 

A  Remarkable  Counterfeit 166 

A  Dangerous  Bank-Note 167 

Precocity 168 

HISTORICAL  MEMORANDA. 

A  Veteran  Cashier 169 

Hon.  John  Sherman 170 

How  the  Suffolk  Bank  was  Beaten  at  its  Own  Game 172 

The  News-Boys'  Savings  Bank 175 

Dollars  of  the  Daddies 177 

Numismatic  Notes 178 

Savings  Banks  in  Europe 181 

A  Big  Money-Chest 181 

Small  Savings  and  Great  Results 182 

Oldest  Bill  of  Exchange  in  the  World 182 

Unclaimed  Deposits 183 

The  World's  Greatest  Banker 183 

Origin  of  Savings  Banks 185 

Brief  Explanation  of  Banking 186 

The  United  States  Mint 187 

The  New  York  Clearing  House 188 

Money  One  Hundred  Years  Ago 189 

The  Bank  of  England,  its  Workings  and  Real  Functions. . . .  191 

EXPERIENCES  AMONG  THE  FREEDMEN. 

His  "  In-Trust" 193 

Desirable  Terms 193 


x  Contents. 

PAOB 

Neglected  Education 194 

"  Investigated  " 194 

Civil  Rights  in  Raleigh 195 

A  Financial  Understanding 196 

Eliminating  His  Note 197 

Hifalutin'  Language 198 

Colored  Societies  in  the  South 198 

Extinct 199 

On  Call 199 

The  Wrong  Book 200 

Our  Colored  Messenger 201 

STATISTICAL. 

An  Oriental  Letter 203 

Number  of  Banks  in  the  Country 205 

Statistics  of  United  States  Savings  Banks 206 

Growth  of  Savings  Banks  in  New  York 207 

How  to  Open  a  Ledger  Alphabetically 208 

Our  Paper  Currency 210 

Valuable  Coins 210 

Interest  Laws  in  Force  in  1878 211 

Value  of  Gray-Backs 213 

How  Much  is  a  Billion 214 

New  York  Savings  Banks 215 

General  View  of  Savings  Banks  in  the  United  States 219 

Post  Office  Savings  Banks  in  Canada 223 

Origin  of  Banks 223 

Substitute  for  Money 224 

TRAGICAL. 

Tragical  Result  of  Losing  Bank-Notes 225 

John  W.  Barren,  "  The  Hero  Cashier  " 226 

Dishonor,  but  not  Death 231 

Stock  Gambling  Suicides 231 

Discounting  a  Legacy 231 

The  Barren  Memorial  Church 232 

TOSH   BILLINGS. 

His  Financial  Wisdom — With  Illustrations 233 

Aphorisms,  Precepts,  &c 234 

The  Mizer 242 


Contents.  xi 

PAGE 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

A  Case  of  Mistaken  Identity 245 

A  Chinaman's  Collateral 245 

How  to  Restore  Confidence 246 

The  Rise  in  Gold 246 

A  Granger's  Idea 247 

A  Humble  Incident 248 

Shifting  the  Responsibility 250 

Deposit  Tickets 251 

An  Anecdote  from  Montreal 251 

Suit  Against  the  Queen 252 

Solomon's  Advice 253 

The  Bank  of  England 253 

Nothing  but  a  Banker 254 

The  Value  of  Courtesy 254 

A  Heathen  Banker 255 

A  Crazy  Man's  Desperate  Leap 256 

Incident  of  Resumption 256 

Bonds  Find  Their  Owner  at  Last 257 

The  Puzzled  Dutchman 258 

Rubbing  Out  an  Old  Score 259 

Death  in  Life ". 263 

"That's  My  Name  " 263 

A  Smart  Clerk 264 

Vanderbilt's  Rule  for  Getting  Rich 265 

Convict  Speculators 266 

Popular  Pictures — The  Bank  Clerk 267 

A  Wrong  Count 271 

LightWeight 271 

The  Bank  that  Lasted  a  Day 272 

Passage  from  Paulding 272 

The  Almighty  Dollar 273 

Sometimes  Easily  Mistaken 273 

"Revolution  Tax" 274 

Want  of  Eddication 275 

Watch  How  Your  Customers  Spit 276 

Plate  Glass  Spittoons 276 

Trapping  Rogues  with  Sunshine 277 

What  It  Was  Worth 278 

Singular  Bible  Class 278 


xii  Contents. 

•MM 

Banker's  Love  of  Birds 278 

A  Millionaire  on  Giving  Away  Money 279 

A  Warning 280 

Sharing  in  Rothschild's  Fortune 280 

Bootblack's  Annual  Report 281 

How  to  be  Famous 281 

Handwriting 282 

The  Schoolmaster  Abroad 282 

Rothschild's  Happiness 283 

The  Two  Bills— A  Fable 283 

Loss  By  Attrition 285 

The  Cost  of  Reversing  an  Old  Proverb 286 

A  Safe  Place  for  Securities 286 

Above  Work 287 

Unique  Banking 289 

Fate  of  a  Compound  Note 289 

Pea-nut  Peddler's  Savings  Bank 290 

Grandest  Instance  of  Debt 291 

John  Sherman's  Plan  of  Life 291 

Treatment  of  Insolvents  by  the  Bank  of  England 292 

FRACTIONAL   CURRENCY 293 


PREFATORY. 


SAID  a  student  to  his  preceptor,  "Doctor,  let  us  write 
a  book."  "A  capital  idea,"  replied  the  doctor;  "we'll 
put  in  all  that  I  know,  and  all  that  you  don't  know,  and 
we'll  make  quite  a  book  !" 

In  a  similar  humor  this  work  was  conceived.  It  rep- 
resents, so  far  as  the  compiler  is  concerned,  the  net  result 
of  a  thousand  half-hours,  snatched  from  a  busy  life,  and 
used  by  way  of  recreation  to  fasten  the  good  things  he 
has  read,  heard,  suffered,  or  found  out  during  his  ten 
years  of  bank  life,  from  his  customers,  his  correspond- 
ents and  the  fraternity  at  large.  Claiming  only  to  be  a 
SCRAP-BOOK.,  the  sharp-penned  critics  are  notified  to  pass 
by  on  the  other  side.  All  the  glory  hereunto  appertain- 
ing is  due  the  distinguished  men  from  whose  works  we 
quote,  the  banks  whose  success  is  noted,  the  host  of  able 
cashiers  who  have  so  cleverly  taken  the  stand  and  recited 
their  stories,  and  to  the  good  books  from  which  so  many 
items  have  been  coolly  embezzled.  The  compiler  desires 
only  to  be  recognized  as  the  humble  string  which  ties  all 
this  together. 

The  idea  is  by  no  means  a  new  one.  It  is  older  than 
Rome ;  for  did  not  the  great  Caesar  compile  a  similar 
book  in  which  he  set  down  the  bon-mots  of  Cicero  ?  And 
Quintillian  tells  of  a  three-volume  work  by  his  f  reedman, 
entitled,  "De  Jocis  Ciceronis."  Then,  too,  we  have  the 
"  Anecdota  Greca,"  from  the  old  Greek  Fathers,  and  a 

[13] 


14  Prefatory. 

"  Thesaurus  Novus  Anecdotorum,"  by  Martene  and  Du- 
rand,  besides  the  "  Anecdota"  of  Becker,  Bachmann  and 
Heinbach.  The  ancients  having  established  and  enjoyed 
so  excellent  a  precedent,  no  apology  is  needed  in  A.  D. 
1879,  for  bringing  forth  this  "  Banker's  Tickler,"  or 
"  Bankiana,"  which  may  partially  illustrate  the  thought 
of  D'Israeli,  "  Every  class  of  readers  requires  a  book 
adapted  to  itself." 

It  is  impossible  that  a  volume  of  so  modest  dimen- 
sions should  contain  all  that  is  worth  preserving  in  this 
line.  The  world  couldn't  contain  the  books  that  might 
be  made  up  from  the  daily  history  of  queer,  eccentric, 
sad,  curious,  ludicrous,  astonishing  illustrations  of  poor, 
weak  human  nature,  with  which  the  country's  bankers 
are  conversant.  But  here  is,  at  least,  enough  for  one  sit- 
ting, and  quite  sufficient  to  show  the  scope  of  the  banker's 
profession  (?)  as  well  as  the  charmed  sort  of  life  he  leads. 

Such  readers  as  experience  pain  because  of  the  omis- 
sion of  incidents  they  expected  to  find  herein,  are  respect- 
fully invited  to  forward  the  same  in  time  for  publication 
in  Volume  II.  of  this  work,  which  has  already  been 
contemplated  by 

H.   C.   P. 

NORFOLK,  VA.,  October  i,  1879. 


THANK    YOU! 

I  hereby  make  hearty  acknowledgment  to  the  editors  and  pub- 
lishers of  the  following  works  for  kind  permission  to  "extract"  many 
good  things  from  their  works  : 

Appleton's  Cyclopedia  of  Business  Anecdotes. 

Harper's  Drawer. 

Spofford's  American  Year  Book. 

Rhodes'  Journal  of  Banking. 

Bankers'  Magazine. 

The  Safeguard.  H.  C.  P. 


THE 

BANKERS'     SCRAP-BOOK. 


POET    BANKERS. 

"  Poeta  nascitur,  non  fit." 

IN  Dickens'  immortal  Christmas  Carol  is  charmingly 
set  forth  this  pen-painting  of  one  who  approaches  the 
world's  average  ideal  of  a  banker,  the  last  man  on  earth 
to  be  guilty  of  doing  homage  at  the  Muses'  shrine  : 

"  Oh  !  But  he  was  a  tight-fisted  hand  at  the  grind- 
stone, Scrooge !  a  squeezing,  wrenching,  grasping, 
scraping,  clutching,  covetous  old  sinner  !  Hard  and 
sharp  as  flint,  from  which  no  steel  had  ever  struck  out 
generous  fire  ;  secret,  and  self-contained,  and  solitary  as 
an  oyster.  The  cold  within  him  froze  his  old  features, 
nipped  his  pointed  nose,  shriveled  his  cheek,  stiffened 
his  gait ;  made  his  eyes  red,  his  thin  lips  blue  ;  and 
spoke  out  shrewdly  in  his  grating  voice.  A  frosty  rime 
was  on  his  head,  and  on  his  eyebrows,  and  his  wiry 
chin.  He  carried  his  own  low  temperature  always 
about  with  him  ;  he  iced  his  office  in  the  dog-days  ;  and 
didn't  thaw  it  one  degree  at  Christmas.  No  warmth 
could  warm,  no  wintry  weather  chill  him.  No  wind 
that  blew  was  bitterer  than  he,  no  falling  snow  was  more 

[15] 


1 6  The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 

intent  upon  its  purpose,  no  pelting  rain  less  open  to 
entreaty.  Foul  weather  didn't  know  where  to  have  him. 
The  heaviest  rain,  and  snow,  and  hail,  and  sleet,  could 
boast  of  the  advantage  over  him  in  only  one  respect. 
They  often  '  came  down '  handsomely,  and  Scrooge 
never  did." 

It  is  presumed  the  following  random  selections  and 
contributions  of  poetry  from  bankers  more  or  less  dis- 
tinguished, will  come  as  a  gentle  surprise  to  many 
readers,  who  will  not  only  enjoy  them,  but  haply  may 
thus  be  brought  to  a  better  mind,  and  led  to  conclude 
that,  after  all,  the  "  bulls"  and  the  "bears"  are  far  less 
savage  than  they  are  painted. 

With  the  leisure  hours  for  study  possessed  by  many 
of  the  profession,  and  their  constant  attrition  with  every 
variety  and  idiosyncracy  of  character  in  the  business 
world,  why  should  not  bankers,  as  a  class,  be  able  to 
exhibit  fair  intellectual  culture,  and  perchance  add 
somewhat  to  the  world's  treasury  of  mental  wealth  ?  Be 
it  the  Scrap-Book's  mission  to  show  that  they  have  done 
so. 

SAMUEL   ROGERS, 
ENGLAND'S  BANKER  POET. 

The  name  of  SAMUEL  ROGERS  is  worthy  of  place  in 
the  front  rank  of  bankers  who  have  been  favored  with 
the  sweet  gift  of  song.  He  was  for  some  time  a  banker 
of  London,  but  retired  from  the  business  after  a  brief 
experience,  and  devoted  himself  to  literature.  For  a 
half-century,  his  house  (No.  22)  in  St.  James's  Place  was 


Poet  Bankers.  17 

v 

a  famous  resort  of  literary  men,  and  a  repository  of 
many  art-treasures.  He  died  in  1855,  at  the  advanced 
age  of  92  years.  His  "Pleasures  of  Memory,"  "Voyage 
of  Columbus,"  and  "  Table-Talk "  have  given  him  a 
world-wide  reputation,  and  the  charming  poems  on 
"Italy"  are  outward  evidences  of  an  inner  soul-life 
immeasurably  above  bank-notes  and  bullion.  We  quote 
from  his  published  works  the  following  choice  poems 
and  fragments  : 

THE    SCHOOL- HOUSE. 

The  school's  lone  porch,  with  reverend  mosses  gray, 
Just  tells  the  pensive  pilgrim  where  it  lay. 
Mute  is  the  bell  that  rung  at  peep  of  dawn, 
Quickening  my  truant  feet  across  the  lawn  : 
Unheard  the  shout  that  rent  the  noontide  air, 
When  the  slow  dial  gave  a  pause  to  care. 
Up  springs,  at  every  step,  to  claim  a  tear, 
Some  little  friendship  formed  and  cherished  here  ! 
And  not  the  lightest  leaf,  but  trembling  teems 
With  golden  visions  and  romantic  dreams  ! 


MELANCHOLY. 

Go  !  you  may  call  it  madness,  folly — 
You  shall  not  chase  my  gloom  away ; 

There's  such  a  charm  in  melancholy, 
I  would  not  if  I  could  be  gay. 

Oh,  if  you  knew  the  pensive  pleasure 
That  fills  my  bosom  when  I  sigh, 

You  would  not  rob  me  of  a  treasure 
Monarchs  are  too  poor  to  buy  ! 


1 8  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 

ON    A    TEAR. 

Oh  !  that  the  chemist's  magic  art 

Could  crystallize  this  sacred  treasure  ! 

Long  should  it  glitter  near  my  heart, 
A  secret  source  of  pensive  pleasure. 

The  little  brilliant,  ere  it  fell, 

Its  luster  caught  from  Chloe's  eye  ; 

Then,  trembling,  left  its  coral  cell — 
The  spring  of  Sensibility. 

Sweet  drop  of  pure  and  pearly  light ! 

In  thee  the  rays  of  Virtue  shine  ; 
More  calmly  clear,  more  mildly  bright, 

Than  any  gem  that  gilds  the  mine. 

Benign  restorer  of  the  soul ! 

Who  ever  fly'st  to  bring  relief, 
When  first  we  feel  the  rude  control 

Of  Love  or  Pity,  Joy  or  Grief. 

The  sage's  and  the  poet's  theme, 
In  every  clime,  in  every  age  ; 

Thou  charm'st,  in  Fancy's  idle  dream, 
In  Reason's  philosophic  page. 

That  very  law  that  molds  a  tear, 

And  bids  it  trickle  from  its  source — 

That  law  preserves  the  earth  a  sphere, 
And  guides  the  planets  in  their  course. 


A    WISH. 


Mine  be  a  cot  beside  the  hill  ; 
A  beehive's  hum  shall  soothe  my  ear  ; 
A  willowy  brook  that  turns  a  mill, 
With  many  a  fall,  shall  linger  near. 


Poet  Bankers.  19 

The  swallow,  oft,  beneath  my  thatch, 
Shall  twitter  from  her  clay -built  nest ; 
Oft  shall  the  pilgrim  lift  the  latch, 
And  share  my  meal,  a  welcome  guest. 

Around  my  ivied  porch  shall  spring 
Each  fragrant  flower  that  drinks  the  dew  : 
And  Lucy  at  her  wheel  shall  sing 
In  russet  gown  and  apron  blue. 

The  village  church,  among  the  trees, 
Where  first  our  marriage  vows  were  given, 
With  merry  peals  shall  swell  the  breeze, 
And  point  with  taper  spire  to  heaven. 


VENICE. 

There  is  a  glorious  City  in  the  Sea  ! 

The  sea  is  in  the  broad,  the  narrow  streets, 

Ebbing  and  flowing,  and  the  salt  sea-weed 

Clings  to  the  marble  of  her  palaces. 

No  track  of  men,  no  footsteps  to  and  fro, 

Lead  to  her  gates.     The  path  lies  o'er  the  sea, 

Invisible  ;  and  from  the  land  we  went, 

As  to  a  floating  city — steering  in, 

And  gliding  up  her  streets  as  in  a  dream, 

So  smoothly,  silently — by  many  a  dome, 

Mosque-like,  and  many  a  stately  portico, 

The  statues  ranged  along  an  azure  sky  ; 

By  many  a  pile,  in  more  than  eastern  splendor, 

Of  old  the  residence  of  merchant-kings  ; 

The  fronts  of  some,  though  time  had  shattered  them, 

Still  glowing  with  the  richest  hues  of  art, 

As  though  the  wealth  within  them  had  run  o'er. 


2O  The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 

TO    THE    BUTTERFLY. 

Child  of  the  sun  !  pursue  thy  rapturous  flight, 
Mingling  with  her  thou  lov'st  in  fields  of  light  ; 
And,  where  the  flowers  of  Paradise  unfold, 
Quaff  fragrant  nectar  from  their  cups  of  gold. 
There  shall  thy  wings,  rich  as  an  evening  sky, 
Expand  and  shut  with  silent  ecstacy  ! 
Yet  wert  thou  once  a  worm,  a  thing  that  crept 
On  the  bare  earth,  then  wrought  a  tomb  and  slept. 
And  such  is  man  !  soon  from  his  cell  of  clay 
To  burst  a  seraph  in  the  blaze  of  day. 


PLEASURE,  that  comes  unlocked  for,  is  thrice  welcome  ; 

And  if  it  stir  the  heart,  if  aught  be  there 

That  may  hereafter,  in  a  thoughtful  hour 

Wake  but  a  sigh,  'tis  treasured  up  among 

The  things  most  precious  ;  and  the  day  it  came 

Is  noted  as  a  white  day  in  our  lives. 


CHARLES    SPRAGUE. 

This  American  poet  was  born  in  Boston,  1791.  He 
was  pre-eminently  a  self-made  man,  having  had  no 
school  advantages  after  his  thirteenth  year.  After  a  few 
years'  experience  as  clerk  and  partner  in  dry -goods  and 
grocery  stores,  in  1819  he  accepted  the  position  of 
Teller  in  the  State  Bank  of  Boston.  In  1824  he  was 
elected  to  the  cashiership  of  the  Globe  Bank,  which 
important  position  he  filled  for  forty  years,  with  an 


Poet  Bankers.  21 

integrity  and  old-fashioned  honesty  which  do  his 
memory  as  great  honor  as  do  the  graceful  productions 
of  his  pen.  His  poem  on  "  Curiosity,"  delivered  in  1829 
before  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  society  in  Cambridge,  is  con- 
sidered his  best  production. 

A  complete  revised  collection  of  his  poems  was  pub- 
lished in  1876  by  A.  Williams  &  Co.,  Boston,  through 
whose  kind  permission  we  copy  a  few  specimens  of  his 
work. 

In  1826,  on  July  4th,  he  pronounced  a  stirring  ode  at 
the  centennial  celebration  of  Boston,  beginning  : 

FIFTY  years  have  rolled  away, 
Since  that  high,  heroic  day, 
When  our  fathers,  in  the  fray, 

Struck  the  conquering  blow  ! 
Praise  to  the.m — the  bold  who  spoke  ; — 
Praise  to  them — the  brave  who  broke 
Stern  oppression's  galling  yoke, 

FIFTY  YEARS  AGO  ! 

One  of  Mr.  Sprague's  sweetest  poems  is  the  following, 
written  after  the  death  of  his  infant  son,  Charles  James, 
on  the  anniversary  of  his  birth  : 


CHARLES  JAMES. 

There  is  a  spot— 'tis  holy  ground 

To  those  who  weep, 
Where,  hushed  beneath  each  lonely  mound, 

Death's  moldering  victims  sleep. 


22  The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 

Friend,  sister,  brother,  there  are  laid, 

From  sorrows  free ; 
And  there  a  clay-cold  bed  is  made 

For  thee,  Sweet  Boy  !  for  thee. 

Those  little  hands  thou'lt  raise  no  more 

To  meet  my  arms  ; 
Thou'rt  gone  !  the  bitter  wind  passed  o'er, 

And  withered  all  thy  charms. 

Forever  gone  life's  active  spark, 

The  blood's  warm  thrill  ; 
Thy  bright  blue  eyes  are  closed  and  dark, 

Thy  merry  laugh  is  still. 

I've  sat  me  by  thy  cradle's  side, 

And  joyed  to  trace, 
Blind  fool  !  with  all  a  father's  pride, 

Thy  future  earthly  race. 

Fancy  beheld  thee  good  and  wise, 

Honor's  proud  theme, 
Truth's  sturdy  prop,  Fame's  noble  prize, 

But,  oh  !  'twas  all  a  dream. 

There  came  an  hour — with  me  'twill  live 

Till  life  depart ; 
Time's  vaunted  skill  no  balm  can  give, 

Remembrance  wrings  my  heart. 

'Twas  when  I  watched,  with  curdling  blood. 

Each  stifled  breath  ; 
'Twas  when  on  that  pale  forehead  stood 

The  boding  damp  of  death. 

'Twas  when  the  tyrant's  grasp,  so  cold, 
Chilled  life's  young  tide  ; 


Poet  Bankers.  23 

'Twas  when  those  eyes  that  last  glance  rolled — 
'Twas  when  my  poor  boy  died. 

The  sigh  will  rise,  in  manhood's  spite, 

The  tears  will  roll  ; 
Grief  round  me  draws  her  mental  night, 

And  desolates  my  soul. 

Yet  let  my  stricken  heart  be  taught 

That  thou'rt  in  peace  ; 
That  lesson,  with  true  wisdom  fraught. 

Should  bid  each  anguish  cease. 

If  there's  a  refuge-place  at  last, 

For  man  t'  enjoy, 
There  may  I  meet,  earth's  trials  past, 

My  Charles,  my  cherub  boy ! 


CURIOSITY. 
[FRAGMENTS. — THE  ENTIRE  POEM  COVERS  THIRTY-TWO  PAGES.] 

It  came  from  Heaven — it  reigned  in  Eden's  shades — 
It  roves  on  earth — and  every  walk  invades  : 
Childhood  and  age  alike  its  influence  own, 
It  haunts  the  beggar's  nook,  the  monarch's  throne ; 
Hangs  o'er  the  cradle,  leans  above  the  bier, 
Gazed  on  old  Babel's  tower — and  lingers  here. 

To  all  that's  lofty,  all  that's  low  it  turns, 
With  terror  curdles  and  with  rapture  burns  ; 
Now  feels  a  seraph's  throb,  now,  less  than  man's, 
A  reptile  tortures,  and  a  planet  scans  ; 
Now  idly  joins  in  life's  poor,  passing  jars, 

Now  shakes  creation  off,  and  soars  beyond  the  stars. 
***** 


24  The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 

• 

Behold  the  sick  man  in  his  easy-chair  ; 
Barred  from  the  busy  crowd  and  bracing  air, 
How  every  passing  trifle  proves  its  power 
To  while  away  the  long,  dull,  lazy  hour  ! 
As  down  the  pane  the  rival  rain-drops  chase, 
Curious  he'll  watch  to  see  which  wins  the  race ; 
And  let  two  dogs  beneath  his  window  fight, 
He'll  shut  his  Bible  to  enjoy  the  sight. 

***** 
Nor  even  to  life,  nor  death,  nor  time  confined — 
The  dread  hereafter  fills  the  exploring  mind  ; 
We  burst  the  grave,  profane  the  coffin's  lid, 
Unwisely  ask  of  all  so  wisely  hid  ; 
Eternity's  dark  record  we  would  read — 
Mysteries  unraveled  yet  by  mortal  creed  ; 
Of  life  to  come,  unending  joy  and  woe, 
And  all  that  holy  wranglers  dream  below  ; 
To  find  their  jarring  dogmas  out  we  long, 
Or  which  is  right,  or  whether  all  be  wrong  ; 
Things  of  an  hour,  we  would  invade  His  throne, 
And  find  out  Him,  the  Everlasting  One  ! 


O  Thou,  whose  fingers  raised  us  from  the  dust, 

Till  there  we  sleep  again,  be  this  our  trust  : 

This  sacred  hunger  marks  the  immortal  mind, 

By  Thee  'twas  given,  for  Thee,  for  Heaven,  designed  ; 

There  the  rapt  spirit,  from  earth's  grossness  freed, 

Shall  see,  and  know,  and  be  like  Thee  indeed. 


"  How  cold  he  hearkens  to  some  bankrupt's  woe, 
Nods  his  wise  head,  and  cries — '  I  told  you  so  !' " 


Poet  Bankers.  25 


THE    WINGED    WORSHIPPERS. 

Addressed  to  two  swallows  that  flew  into  Chauncey  Place  Church 
during  divine  service.] 

Gay,  guiltless  pair, 
What  seek  ye  from  the  fields  of  Heaven  ? 

Ye  have  no  need  of  prayer, 
Ye  have  no  sins  to  be  forgiven. 

Why  perch  ye  here, 
Where  mortals  to  their  Maker  bend? 

Can  your  pure  spirits  fear 
The  God  ye  never  could  offend  ? 

Ye  never  knew 
The  crimes  for  which  we  come  to  weep. 

Penance  is  not  for  you, 
Blessed  wanderers  of  the  upper  deep. 

To  you  'tis  given 
To  wake  sweet  Nature's  untaught  lays  : 

Beneath  the  arch  of  Heaven, 
To  chirp  away  a  life  of  praise. 

Then  spread  each  wing, 
Far,  far  above,  o'er  lakes  and  lands, 
And  join  the  choirs  that  sing 
In  yon  blue  dome  not  reared  with  hands. 

Or,  if  ye  stay, 

To  note  the  consecrated  hour, 
Teach  me  the  airy  way, 
And  let  me  try  your  envied  power. 

Above  the  crowd, 
On  upward  wings  could  I  but  fly, 


26  TJu  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 

I'd  bathe  in  yon  bright  cloud, 
And  seek  the  stars  that  gem  the  sky. 

'Twere  Heaven  indeed, 
Through  fields  of  trackless  light  to  soar, 

On  Nature's  charms  to  feed, 
And  Nature's  own  great  God  adore. 


TO   MY   CIGAR. 

Yes,  social  friend,  I  love  thee  well, 

In  learned  doctor's  spite  ; 
Thy  clouds  all  other  clouds  dispel, 

And  lap  me  in  delight. 

By  thee,  they  cry,  with  phizzes  long, 
My  years  are  sooner  passed  ; 

Well,  take  my  answer,  right  or  wrong, 
They're  sweeter  while  they  last. 

And  oft,  mild  friend,  to  me  thou  art 

A  monitor,  though  still  ; 
Thou  speak'st  a  lesson  to  my  heart, 

Beyond  the  preacher's  skill. 

Thou'rt  like  the  man  of  worth,  who  gives 

To  goodness  every  day, 
The  odor  of  whose  virtue  lives, 

When  he  has  passed  away. 

When,  in  the  lonely  evening  hour, 

Attended  but  by  thee  ; 
O'er  history's  varied  page  I  pore, 

Man's  fate  in  thine  I  see. 


Poet  Bankers.  27 

Oft  as  thy  snowy  column  grows, 

Then  breaks  and  falls  away, 
I  trace  how  mighty  realms  thus  rose, 

Thus  tumbled  to  decay. 

Awhile,  like  thee,  the  hero  burns, 
And  smokes  and  fumes  around, 

And  then,  like  thee,  to  ashes  turns, 
And  mingles  with  the  ground. 

Life's  but  a  leaf,  adroitly  rolled, 
And  Time's  the  wasting  breath, 

That,  late  or  early,  we  behold, 
Gives  all  to  dusty  death. 

From  beggar's  frieze  to  monarch's  robe, 
One  common  doom  is  passed  : 

Sweet  Nature's  works,  the  swelling  globe, 
Must  all  burn  out  at  last. 

And  what  is  he  who  smokes  thee  now  ? — 

A  little  moving  heap, 
That  soon,  like  thee,  to  fate  must  bow, 

With  thee  in  dust  must  sleep. 

But  though  thy  ashes  downward  go, 

Thy  essence  rolls  on  high  ; 
Thus,  when  my  body  must  lie  low, 

My  soul  shall  cleave  the  sky. 

Mr.  Sprague  retired  from  his  long  cashiership  in 
1864,  to  the  quiet  enjoyment  of  his  home,  where,  amid 
friends  and  domestic  pleasures,  his  remaining  years 
were  passed  until  January  22,  1875,  when,  after  a  short 
and  painless  illness,  he  quietly  passed  away,  in  the  eighty- 
fourth  year  of  his  age. 


28  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 

Among  the  papers  of  the  late  Rev. -John  Pierpont 
was  found  a  half-sheet  neatly  filed  and  indorsed,  and 
addressed  in  the  handwriting  of  (the  late)  Charles 
Sprague,  then  cashier,  inclosing  a  promissory  note  for 
fifteen  hundred  dollars,  dated  "  Boston,  25  Augt.,  1832," 
signed  by  Jno.  Pierpont,  and  indorsed  by  a  Boston  pub- 
lisher prominent  at  that  time.  On  the  face  of  the  note 
is  written,  "  Paid,  Feb.  28,  1833."  Within,  also  in  Mr. 
Sprague's  handwriting,  is  the  following  couplet  : 

"  Behold  a  wonder  seldom  seen  by  men, 
Lines  of  no  value  from  John  Pierpont's  pen." 


The  churl,  who  holds  it  heresy  to  think, 
Who  loves  no  music  but  the  dollar's  clink, 
Who  laughs  to  scorn  the  wisdom  of  the  schools, 
And  deems  the  first  of  poets  first  of  fools, 
Who  never  found  what  good  from  science  grew, 
Save  the  grand  truth,  that  one  and  one  make  two, — 
Tis  he,  across  whose  brain  scarce  dares  to  creep 
Aught  but  thrift's  parent  pair — to  get,  to  keep. 


WILLIAM    ROSCOE, 

THE  POET  BANKER. 

After  Mr.  Roscoe  had  retired  to  private  life,  he  was 
earnestly  solicited  to  enter  a  banking-house,  the  officers 
of  which  desired  the  attention  of  a  person  possessed  of  a 
great  business  capacity  and  talent.  He  had  already 
acted  as  the  confidential  adviser  of  the  house  when  in 


Poet  Bankers.  29 

difficulty,  and  had  rendered  it  valuable  assistance. 
Yielding  to  the  earnest  request  of  his  friends  he  became 
a  partner  in  said  house,  and  for  a  time  devoted  himself 
exclusively  to  its  concerns.  Some  seven  years  after, 
owing  to  the  demands  of  the  time,  and  the  scarcity  of 
specie,  the  house  was  forced  to  suspend.  At  his  solicit- 
ation, the  creditors  of  the  firm  allowed  them  six  years  in 
which  to  discharge  their  debts.  During  all  this  period 
Mr.  Roscoe's  labors  were  unremitted.  To  meet  their 
obligations,  however,  the  private  property  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  firm  had  to  be  sold,  and  under  the  most 
unfavorable  circumstances.  It  was  during  this  season 
of  trial  that  Mr.  Roscoe  wrote  the  following  celebrated 
and  immortal  sonnet,  so  well  known  to  all  who  read 
the  English  language,  and  so  evincive  of  his  resignation 
during  trials  so  severe  : 

ON   PARTING   WITH   HIS  BOOKS. 

As  one,  who,  destined  from  his  friends  to  part, 
Regrets  his  loss,  but  hopes  again  ere-while, 
To  share  their  converse  and  enjoy  their  smile, 
And  tempers  as  he  may  affliction's  dart ; 
Thus,  loved  associates  !  chiefs  of  elder  art ! 
Teachers  of  wisdom  !  who  could  once  beguile 
My  tedious  hours,  and  lighten  every  toil, 
I  now  resign  you — nor  with  fainting  heart ; 
For,  pass  a  few  short  years,  or  days,  or  hours, 
And  happier  seasons  may  their  dawn  unfold, 
And  all  your  sacred  fellowship  restore  ; 
When,  freed  from  earth,  unlimited  its  powers, 
Mind  shall  with  mind  direct  communion  hold, 
And  kindred  spirits  meet  to  part  no  more. 


30  Tht  Bankfrs   Scrap-Book. 


EDMUND    CLARENCE    STEDMAN. 

The  poems  of  Mr.  S  ted  man  have  become  household 
words  everywhere.  He  was  a  poet,  and  many  of  his 
best  efforts  appeared,  long  before  he  thought  of  a  bank- 
er's life  ;  indeed,  he  did  not  enter  Wall  street  until  thirty 
>  of  age.  Born  in  Hartford,  Connecticut,  in  1833, 
he  removed  to  New  York  in  1855,  and  soon  after  became 
a  writer  for  the  Tribune.  As  a  journalist,  he  found  no 
time  to  write  books  :  so  in  1864  he  joined  the  New  York 
Stock  Exchange — burning  his  journalistic  ships  behind 
him — and  has  since  been  known  as  a  stock-broker  and 
banker,  whose  evenings  and  vacations  are  devoted  to 
literature  pure  and  simple.  His  books,  all  of  which  have 
appeared  since  he  became  a  Wall  street  man,  are — 
"Poems,  Lyric  and  Idyllic;"  "Alice  of  Monmouth 
and  other  Poems;"  "Complete  Poems"  (1873);  and 
"Victorian  Poems;"  critical  studies  (1875);  besides 
many  fugitive  pieces  which  have  appeared  in  the  news- 
papers. 

By  consent  of  the  accomplished  author  and  his  pub- 
lishers (ffwgJiton,  Osgood  6-  Company,  Boston)  we  give 
several  specimens  of  his  work. 

TOUJOURS   AMOUR. 

Prithee  tell  me,  Dimple-Chin, 
At  what  age  does  Love  begin  ? 
Your  blue  eyes  have  scarcely  seen 
Summers  three,  my  fairy  queen, 


Poet  Bankers.  31 

But  a  miracle  of  sweets, 
Soft  approaches,  sly  retreats, 
Show  the  little  archer  there, 
Hidden  in  your  pretty  hair  ; 
When  did'st  learn  a  heart  to  win? 
Prithee  tell  me,  Dimple-Chin  ! 

44  Oh  !"  the  rosy  lips  reply, 
44  I  can't  tell  you  if  I  try. 

Tis  so  long  I  can't  remember, 

Ask  some  younger  lass  than  I  !" 

Tell,  O  tell  me,  Grizzled- Face, 
Do  your  heart  and  head  keep  pace  > 
When  does  hoary  Love  expire, 
When  do  frosts  put  out  the  fire  ? 
Can  its  embers  burn  below 
All  that  chill  December  snow  ? 
Care  you  still  soft  hands  to  press, 
Bonny  heads  to  smooth  and  bless? 
When  does  Love  give  up  the  chase? 
Tell,  Q  tell  me,  Grizzled-Face  ! 

44  Ah  !"  the  wise  old  lips  reply, 

44  Youth  may  pass  and  strength  may  die  ; 

But  of  Love  I  can't  foretoken  : 

Ask  some  older  sage  than  I !" 


THE     DOORSTEP. 

The  conference-meeting  through  at  last, 
We  boys  around  the  vestry  waited 

To  see  the  girls  come  tripping  past, 
Like  snow-birds  willing  to  be  mated 


32  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 

Not  braver  he  that  leaps  the  wall 

By  level  musket-flashes  litten, 
Than  I,  who  stepped  before  them  all 

Who  longed  to  see  me  get  the  mitten. 

But  no,  she  blushed  and  took  my  arm  ! 

We  let  the  old  folks  have  the  highway, 
And  started  toward  the  Maple  Farm 

Along  a  kind  of  lovers'  by-way. 

I  can't  remember  what  we  said, 

'Twas  nothing  worth  a  song  or  story  ; 

Yet  that  rude  path  by  which  we  sped, 
Seemed  all  transformed  and  in  a  glory. 

The  snow  was  crisp  beneath  our  feet, 

The  moon  was  full,  the  fields  were  gleaming; 

By  hood  and  tippet  sheltered  sweet, 

Her  face  with  youth  and  health  was  beaming. 

The  little  hand  outside  her  muff — 

O  sculptor,  if  you  could  but  mould  it  ! — 

So  lightly  touched  my  jacket-cuff, 
To  keep  it  warm  I  had  to  hold  it 

To  have  her  with  me  there  alone, — 

'Twas  love  and  fear  and  triumph  blended. 

At  last  we  reached  the  foot-worn  stone 
Where  that  delicious  journey  ended. 

The  old  folks,  too,  were  almost  home  ; 

Her  dimpled  hand  the  latches  fingered 
We  heard  the  voices  nearer  come, 

Yet  on  the  doorstep  still  we  lingered. 


Poet  Bankers.  33 

She  shook  her  ringlets  from  her  hood, 
And  with  a  "Thank  you,  Ned,"  dissembled  ; 

But  yet  I  knew  she  understood 

With  what  a  daring  wish  I  trembled. 

A  cloud  passed  kindly  overhead, 

The  moon  was  slyly  peeping  through  it, 

Yet  hid  its  face,  as  if  it  said, 

'*  Come,  now  or  never  !  do  it !  do  it !" 

My  lips  till  then  had  only  known 

The  kiss  of  mother  and  of  sister, 
But  somehow,  full  upon  her  own 

Sweet,  rosy,  darling  mouth — I  kissed  her ! 

Perhaps  'twas  boyish  love,  yet  still, 

O  listless  woman,  weary  lover  ! 
To  feel  once  more  that  fresh,  wild  thrill 

I'd  give — but  who  can  live  youth  over  ? 


1  THE     UNDISCOVERED   COUNTRY. 

Could  we  but  know 
The  land  that  ends  our  dark,  uncertain  travel, 

Where  lie  those  happier  hills  and  meadows  low, — 
Ah,  if  beyond  the  spirit's  inmost  cavil, 
Aught  of  that  country  could  we  surely  know, 
Who  would  not  go  ? 

Might  we  but  hear 
The  hovering  angels'  high  imagined  chorus, 

Or  catch,  betimes,  with  wakeful  eyes  and  clear, 
One  radiant  vista  of  the  realm  before  us, — 
With  one  rapt  moment  given  to  see  and  hear, 

Ah,  who  would  fear  ? 
2* 


34  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 

Were  we  quite  sure 
To  find  the  peerless  friend  who  left  us  lonely, 

Or  there,  by  some  celestial  stream  as  pure, 
To  gaze  in  eyes  that  here  were  love-lit  only, — 
This  weary  mortal  coil,  were  we  quite  sure, 
Who  would  endure  ? 


ISRAEL    FREYER  S   BID    FOR    GOLD. 
FRIDAY,    SEPTEMBER   24,    1 869. 

Zounds  !  how  the  price  went  flashing  through 
Wall  street,  William,  Broad  street,  New  ! 
All  the  specie  in  all  the  land 
Held  in  one  Ring  by  a  giant  hand — 
For  millions  more  it  was  ready  to  pay, 
And  throttle  the  street  on  hangman's  day. 
Up  from  the  Gold  Pit's  nether  hell, 
While  the  innocent  fountain  rose  and  fell, 
Loud  and  higher  the  bidding  rose, 
And  the  bulls,  triumphant,  faced  their  foes. 
It  seemed  as  if  Satan  himself  were  in  it  ; 
Lifting  it — one  per  cent  a  minute — 
Through  the  bellowing  broker,  there  amid, 
Who  made  the  terrible,  final  bid  ! 
High  over  all,  and  ever  higher, 
Was  heard  the  voice  of  Israel  Freyer, — 
A  doleful  knell  in  the  storm-swept  mart, 
"  Five  millions  more  !  and  for  any  part 
I'll  give  One  Hundred  and  Sixty  !" 

Israel  Freyer — the  Government  Jew — 

Good  as  the  best — soaked  through  and  through 

With  credit  gained  in  the  year  he  sold 


Poet  Bankers.  35 

Our  Treasury's  precious  hoard  of  gold  ; 

Now  through  his  thankless  mouth  rings  out 

The  leaguers'  last  and  cruellest  shout  ! 

Pity  the  shorts  ?     Not  they,  indeed, 

While  a  single  rival's  left  to  bleed  ! 

Down  come  dealers  in  s"ilks  and  hides, 

Crowding  the  Gold  Room's  rounded  sides, 

Jostling,  trampling  each  other's  feet, 

Uttering  groans  in  the  outer  street ; 

Watching,  with  upturned  faces  pale, 

The  scurrying  index  mark  its  tale  ; 

Hearing  the  bid  of  Israel  Freyer, — 
That  ominous  voice,  would  it  never  tire  ? 

"  Five  millions  more  ! — for  any  part, 

(If  it  breaks  your  firm,  if  it  cracks  your  heart,) 
I'll  give  One  Hundred  and  Sixty  !" 

One  Hundred  and  Sixty  !     Can't  be  true  ! 

What  will  the  bears-at-forty  do  ?  . 

How  will  the  merchants  pay  their  dues  ? 

How  will  the  country  stand  the  news  ? 

What'll  the  banks— but  listen  !  hold  ! 

In  screwing  upward  the  price  of  gold 

To  that  dangerous,  last,  particular  peg, 

They  had  killed  their  Goose  with  the  Golden  Egg  ! 

Just  there  the  metal  came  pouring  out, 

All  ways  at  once,  like  a  water-spout, 

Or  a  rushing,  gushing,  yellow  flood, 

That  drenched  the  bulls  wherever  they  stood  ! 

Small  need  to  open  the  Washington  main, 

Their  coffer-dams  were  burst  with  the  strain  ! 
It  came  by  runners,  it  came  by  wire, 
To  answer  the  bid  of  Israel  Freyer, 

It  poured  in  millions  from  every  side, 


36  The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 

And  almost  strangled  him  as  he  cried, — 
"  I'll  give  One  Hundred  and  Sixty  !" 

Like  Vulcan  after  Jupiter's  kick, 
Or  the  aphoristical  Rocket's  stick, 
Down,  down,  down,  the  premium  fell, 
Faster  than  this  rude  rhyme  can  tell  ! 
Thirty  per  cent,  the  index  slid, 
Yet  Freyer  still  kept  making  his  bid, — 
"  One  Hundred  and  Sixty  for  any  part  !" 
— The  sudden  ruin  had  crazed  his  heart, 
Shattered  his  senses,  cracked  his  brain, 
And  left  him  crying  again  and  again, — 
Still  making  his  bid  at  the  market's  top 
(Like  the  Dutchman's  leg  that  never  could  stop,) 
"  One  Hundred  and  Sixty — Five  Millions  more  !" 
Till  they  dragged  him,  howling,  off  the  floor. 
The  very  last  words  that  seller  and  buyer 
Heard  from  the  mouth  of  Israel  Freyer — 
A  cry  to  remember  long  as  they  live — 
Were,  "I'll  take  Five  Millions  more  !  I'll  give — 
I'll  give  One  Hundred  and  Sixty  !" 

Suppose  (to  avoid  the  appearance  of  evil) 

There's  such  a  thing  as  a  Personal  Devil, 

It  would  seem  that  his  Highness  here  got  hold 

For  once,  of  a  bellowing  Bull  in  Gold  ! 

Whether  bull  or  bear,  it  wouldn't  much  matter 

Should  Israel  Freyer  keep  up  his  clatter 

On  earth  or  under  it  (as,  they  say, 

He  is  doomed)  till  the  general  Judgment  Day, 

When  the  Clerk,  as  he  cites  him  to  answer  for't, 

Shall  bid  him  keep  silence  in  that  Court ! 

But  it  matters  most,  as  it  seems  to  me, 

That  my  countrymen,  great  and  strong  and  free, 


Poet  Bankers.  37 

So  marvel  at  fellows  who  seem  to  win, 

That  if  even  a  Clown  can  only  begin 

By  stealing  a  railroad,  and  use  its  purse 

For  cornering  stocks  and  gold,  or — worse — 

For  buying  a  Judge  and  Legislature, 

And  sinking  still  lower  poor  human  nature, 

The  gaping  public,  whatever  befall, 

Will  swallow  him,  tandem,  harlots,  and  all  ! 

While  our  rich  men  drivel  and  stand  amazed 

At  the  dust  and  pother  his  gang  have  raised, 

And  make  us  remember  a  nursery  tale 

Of  the  four-and-twenty  who  feared  one  snail. 

What's  bred  in  the  bone  will  breed,  you  know  ; 

Clowns  and  their  trainers,  high  and  low, 

Will  cut  such  capers,  long  as  they  dare, 

While  honest  Poverty  says  its  prayer. 

But  tell  me  what  prayer  or  fast  can  save 

Some  hoary  candidate  for  the  grave, 

The  market's  wrinkled  Giant  Despair, 

Muttering,  brooding,  scheming  there, 

Founding  a  college  or  building  a  churcn 

Lest  Heaven  should  leave  him  in  the  lurch  ! 

Better  come  out  in  the  rival  way, 

Issue  your  scrip  in  open  day, 

And  pour  your  wealth  in  the  grimy  fist 

Of  some  gross-mouthed,  gambling  pugilist ; 

Leave  toil  and  poverty  where  they  lie, 

Pass  thinkers,  workers,  artists,  by  ; 

Your  pot-house  fag  from  his  counters  bring 

And  make  him  into  a  Railway  King  ! 

Between  such  Gentiles  and  such  Jews 

Little  enough  one  finds  to  choose  : 

Either  the  other  will  buy  and  use, 


38  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 

Eat  the  meat  and  throw  him  the  bone, 
And  leave  him  to  stand  the  brunt  alone. 

— Let  the  tempest  come,  that's  gathering  near, 
And  give  us  a  better  atmosphere  ! 


THE  CASHIER  of  the  Cape  Ann  National  Bank,  Glou- 
cester, Massachusetts,  is  an  occasional  contributor  to  the 
Poet's  Column  of  The  Independent,  and  other  popular 
papers.  He  kindly  furnishes  the  two  following  poems 
for  the  Scrap-Book  : 

A    SUMMER   MOOD. 

I  lay  me  in  the  growing  grass, 

A  vagrant  loving  vagrancy  ; 
About  me  kindred  fellows  throng, 

A  very  reckless  company. 

Gay  people  of  the  crowded  air, 

Who  follow  Joy's  recruiting  drums  ; 

Nor  thrift,  nor  any  thorn — they  leave 
To-morrow  till  to-morrow  comes. 

Who  gathers  all,  would  gather  more  ; 

Who  little  hath,  hath  need  of  none  ; 
Who  wins  a  race  will  long  to  win 

Another  that  is  never  won. 

I  fling  me  in  the  grass,  content 
That  not  a  blade  belongs  to  me ; 


And  take  no  thought  for  mowing  days — 


ing    \JLO,  y  o— 

A  vagrant  wed  to  vagrancy. 


Poet  Bankers.  39 


WHAT    THE   SEA    WOULD    SAY. 

The  sea  comes  up  by  night, 
And  comes  again  by  day  ; 

Through  storm  and  shine  it  comes 
And  looks,  then  goes  away, — 

As  it  doth  seek  some  ear 

To  pour  a  tale  upon  ; 
It  comes  and  comes,  and  waits 

A  moment,  and  is  gone, — 

As  it  doth  wait  some  one 
To  stand  upon  the  shore, 

That  it  may  tell  the  tale — 
Then  go  and  come  no  more. 

But  generations  come 

And  generations  go ; 
The  sea  knows  what  it  knows, 

And  they  know  what  they  know. 

And  what  they  need  they  have 
Until  they  have  no  need  ; 

Gold  goes  from  hoard  to  hand, 
And  heirs  to  heirs  succeed. 

But  the  unresting  sea 

Hath  neither  kith  nor  kin, 

Though  it  must  reap  and  reap, 
And,  careless,  gather  in. 

O  heart  !  hadst  thou  to  beat 
And  hope,  and  earn  or  win, 


4O  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 

Without  a  heart  to  share 
What  thou  hast  gathered  in  ! 

O  sea  !  methinks  I  know 

What  thou  hast  left  unsaid, — 
'Tis,  "  Lord,  O  let  me  rest ; 

Let  me  give  up  my  dead  !" 

HIRAM  RICH. 


THE  two  following  poems  are  from  the  pen  of  an 
American  cashier,  whose  modesty  requests  no  further 
mention  : 

TO   MY    ABSENT    WIFE. 

I  have  no  hopes  that  are  not  richly  freighted 

With  sweetest  thoughts  of  thee  ; 
I  have  no  wishes  but  are  ever  mated 

With  such  as  thine  would  be. 

I  breathe  no  prayer  that  is  not  always  given 

More  for  thyself  than  me  ; 
I  ne'er  have  sought  or  aimed,  desired  or  striven, 

But  for  what  both  should  be. 

In  dreams  I  see  thee,  ever  sweet  and  dear, 

All  that  my  soul  desires, 
A  lovely  vision — but  to  disappear, 

As  a  dim  flame  expires. 

With  thee,  my  spirit  soars  to  drink  and  breathe 
Thy  purer  atmosphere, 


Poet  Bankers.  41 

And  inspirations  catch  that  make,  and  leave 
Me  better,  that  thou  wert  here. 

It  seems  to  me  thou  hast  no  counterpart, 

In  any  land,  to  be 
Enough  to  fill  my  idolizing  heart, 

Should'st  thou  be  lost  to  me. 

May  Heaven's  choicest  blessings  on  thee  fall, 

Like  dews  on  sweetest  flower  ; 
Delight  and  pleasure  ever  join,  to  call, 

Thee  to  their  loveliest  bower. 

Oh  !  may  contentment  be  thy  lot  each  day, 

By  night,  thy  pillow  be 
Sweet  peace,  whereon  thy  peerless  head  to  lay, 

And  dream  sweet  dreams  of  me. 

B.  F.  C. 


TO 


I  sit  beside  my  open  casement,  where, 

Laden  with  the  sweet  breath  of  dewy  flowers, 

The  perfumed  winds  to  my  rapt  senses  bear 
The  hush  and  silence  of  the  midnight  hours  ; 

Hours  that  grow  brighter  as  the  full-robed  moon 
Mounts  to  her  zenith  ;  and,  whilst  ling'ring  there, 

Silence  sinks  into  solitude,  and  the  noon 
Of  midnight  sits  upon  the  voiceless  air. 

The  air  itself  is  hushed  and  lifeless,  and 
Its  last,  expiring  breathings  touch  my  face, 

As  jeweled  fingers  of  a  snowy  hand 

Touch  delicate  petals,  or  a  tender  place. 


42  TJie  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 

Around  me  all  is  dumb  and  motionless, 

And  garish  with  silv'ry  light ;  within  my  heart 

Wells  up  sweet  memories,  and  tries  to  guess 
Of  thee,  thy  future,  and  where  now  thou  art. 

If,  too,  thou'rt  keeping  vigils  at  this  hour, 

And  sending  forth  thy  thoughts  this  holy  night, 
To  find  and  bless,  with  some  invisible  power, 

The  friends  that  greet  thee  with  the  morning  light- 
Let  one  swift,  white-winged  messenger  fly  here, 

And  fold  his  pinions  up,  and  stay  with  me, 
Till  sweet,  inviting  sleep  approaches  near, 

When  all  thy  tenants  hurry  home  to  thee. 

Or  art  thou  in  the  fairy  realm  of  dreams, 

Reclined  in  attitudes  of  sweet  repose  ? 
Whilst  the  pale  moon,  like  a  sweet  mother,  seems 

To  stop,  and  bend  o'er  thee,  then  softly  goes 

Away  so  silently,  that  not  a  sound 

Springs  from  her  tip-toe  movements  o'er  the  floor, 
As  she  pursues  her  loving  vigils  round 

The  sleeping  earth,  to  watch  forevermore. 

Oh  !  peaceful  be  thy  slumbers,  sweet  thy  dreams, 
May  Heavenly  visitants  thy  couch  attend, 

To  guard  and  keep  thee,  till  the  golden  beams 
Of  morning  sunshine  on  thy  head  descend  ! 

August,  1878.  B.  F.  C. 


Poet  Bankers.  43 

The   same   statement  as  to   modesty  applies  to  the 
cashier  who  furnishes  the  two  following  : 

BIRTHDAY     THOUGHTS. 

[ADDRESSED  TO  MY  DEAR  WIFE,  MAY  2,  1873.] 

Another  waymark  on  the  journey  to  Heaven 
Passed  by  my  "  Nearest  and  Dearest  "  to-day  ; 

What  can  I  offer  her  ?  what  shall  be  given, 
Joy  to  afford  her  on  life's  thorny  way  ? 

Not  all  the  gems  from  the  depths  of  the  ocean 

Equal  in  value  the  treasure  I'll  bring  ; 
Believe  me,  dear  Fannie,  the  heart's  fond  emotion 

Ever  excels  e'en  what  poets  can  sing. 

What  though  our  days  seem  all  laden  with  sorrow, 
Life-plans  and  prospects  turned  rudely  aside  ; 

Faith  bids  us  hope  for  a  brighter  to-morrow, — 

Sing,  and  take  courage, — "  The  Lord  will  provide  !" 

Count  o'er  the  blessings  our  days  are  revealing, 
"New  every  morning,"  unnumbered  and  free  : 

Shall  we  not  thankfully,  rev'rently  kneeling, 
Praise  his  great  mercies  to  you — and  to  me? 

Then  let  the  future  bring  sorrow  or  pleasure, 
Bravely  we'll  meet  it,  come  whatever  may  ; 

Hand  joined  in  hand  we'll  accept  its  full  measure, 
Fainting  nor  doubting  till  life's  latest  day. 

God  bless  you,  my  darling  !  and  grant  you  whatever 

Infinite  wisdom  or  love  can  bestow  ! 
Heaven's  brightest  blessings  reward  you  forever, 

When  these  dark  shadows  are  ended  below  !  P. 


44  The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 


A    PRAYER. 

Father  01  Light !  to  Thee  I  cry, 
Ere  yet  the  day  of  life  be  spent  ! 

Hast  Thou  not  said  e'en  such  as  I 
Forgiveness  find,  if  penitent  ? 

"  Nothing  but  leaves  "  my  life  has  borne,— 
Sadness  and  shame  my  portion  are  ; 

O'er  grievous  falls  and  sins  I  mourn, 
Which  from  my  God  have  led  me  far. 

My  inward  soul  for  virtue  yearns, 
But  oh  !  the  flesh  is  weak  and  frail ; 

And  while  tow'rd  life  my  spirit  turns, 
Deceitful  sins  so  oft  prevail ! 

A  trembling  sinner,  Lord,  I  come, 
Owning  my  wretchedness  and  woe  ; 

Before  thy  righteous  throne  stand  dumb,- 
And  shall  I  unforgiven  go  ? 

Thou  who  dost  for  the  sparrow  care, 
And  every  creature's  record  scan, 

Oh,  hear  my  deep,  repentant  prayer, 
Thy  mercy  show  to  erring  man. 

Help  me  to  trust  thy  promised  word, 
To  cast  on  Thee  each  burd'ning  care  ; 

"  Amazing  grace  "  again  afford, — 
Let  me  thy  gracious  pardon  share. 

Then,  till  this  fleeting  life  be  past, 

Shall  all  its  powers  to  Thee  be  giv'n, 
And  while  eternity  shall  last, 

•My  soul  shall  sing  thy  praise  in  Heav'n. 
July  25,  1872. 


Poet  Bankers.  45 

THE    BALLAD   OF    THE   ECONOMICAL    YOUNG    MAN. 
[A  very  lamentable  tale,  founded  on  a  recent  sketch  in  the  Evening  Post.  ] 

'Tis  of  a  rich  Bankier  I  shall  tell  you  to-day, 
Who  a  Savings  Bank  Clerk  had  for  \\isprotcge, 
Twelve  hundred  a  year  was  his  salary  all  told, 
Which  the  same  was  paid  to  him  in  greenbacks — not  gold. 
CHORUS  [indicative  of  the  inadequate  character 

of  his  remuneration]  : 
Singing,  tooral,  li  looral,  li  looral,  li  lee, 
The  greatest  of  virtues  it  is  economee  ; 
Take  care  of  the  nickels  and  small  currency, 
And  the  dollars'll  take  care  of  themselves,  don't  you 
see? 

As  the  Clerk  was  walking  down  Wall  Street  one  day, 
He  met  the  rich  Bankier,  and  to  him  did  say  : 
"  Please  go  to  our  directors  without  any  delay, 
And  see  if  you  can't  get  me  a  raise  in  my  pay !" 

CHORUS  [expressive  of  his  anxiety  to  have  the 
volume  of  currency  made  equal  to  the  de- 
mands of  his  pocket]  :  Singing,  tooral,  &c. 

''  Twelve  hundred  I  have,  what  I  want  is  fifteen." 
Said  the  Bankier  (a  man  of  respectable  mien, 
With  a  shaved  double  chin  and  gold  glasses  severe)  : 
"  H — m  !    How  much  do  you  save  of  your  twelve  hun- 
dred a  year  ?" 

CHORUS  [illustrative  of  the  great  moral  and 
economic  truth  that  id.  saved  is  2d.  earned]  : 
Singing,  tooral,  li  looral,  &c. 

"Save?     Nothing!"  replied   that   young  clerk;    "don't 

you  see, 
I've  a  wife  and  two  children  all  in  my  familee, 


46  The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 

I  must  house  them  and  clothe  them,  find  them  some- 
thing to  eat, 
And  the  best  I  can  do  is  to  make  both  ends  meet." 

CHORUS  [descriptive  of  his  struggle  for  exist- 
ence] :  Singing,  tooral,  li  looral,  &c. 

"Save  nothing  ?"  said  sternly  that  Bankier  so  good  ; 
"  You  may  and  can  save,  and  might,  could,  would  and 

should. 

There's  nothing  so  easy  when  you're  used  to  it  once ; 
Now  go  and  come  back  at  the  end  of  six  monce." 

CHORUS  [conveying  the  assurance  that  to  him 
that  hath  shall  perhaps  be  given]  :  Singing, 
tooral,  &c. 

That  young  man  went  off ;  for  the  next  six  months  he 
Did  practice  the  rigidest  economee, 
He  rode  to  the  office  each  day  on  shanks'  mare, 
Losing  ten  cents'  worth  of  time  to  save  five  cents  car-fare. 
CHORUS  [showing  how  the  old  thing  worked]  : 
Singing,  tooral,  &c. 

With  the  five  cents  thus  saved  he'd  repair  at  high  noon 
To  a  beer  hall  near  by,  where  he'd  order  a  schoon- 
Er  of  lager  and  sweep  the  free  lunch  counter  bare, 
Of  mustard,  tripe,  sausage,  and  all  that  was  there. 

CHORUS  [pursuing  the  same  theme]  :  Singing, 
tooral,  &c.  v 

When  out  with  the  boys  a  retreat  he  would  beat 

As  soon  as  it  came  near  his  turn  to  stand  treat, 

And  when  he  went  to  church  and  the  plate  was  passed  round 

How  meekly  he'd  fasten  his  eyes  on  the  ground ! 

CHORUS   [presenting  the  fact  that  salvation  is 

to  be  had  without  money  and  without  price]  : 

Singing,  tooral,  li  looral,  &c. 


Poet  Bankers.  47 

At  home  his  two  children  this  beatified  bilk 

Paid  five  cents  a  day  to  drink  water  'stead  of  milk, 

And  when  they  were  asleep  the  two  nickels  he'd  hook 

'em, 

And  next  morning  pretend  that  the  cat  'twas  that  took 
'em. 

CHORUS  [portraying  the  perfect  confidence  that 
existed  between  parent  and  child]  :  Sing- 
ing, tooral,  &c. 

Now,  when  the  appointed  six  months  had  passed  away, 
The  Clerk  met  the  Bankier,  and  to  him  did  say  : 
"  Thanks  to  the  attention  to  your  counsel  I  did  pay. 
I've  put  by  two  hundred  dollars  for  the  next  rainy  day." 
CHORUS  [depicting  him  as  on  the  high  road  to 
fortune]  :     Singing,  tooral,  li  looral,  &c. 

"  Take  this  note,"  said  the  Bankier,  "to  thy  president,  he 
Will  thy  salary  raise,  for  good  W.  E.  D., 
When  the  widows  their  mites  bring  to  the  treasury 
Will,  I  know,  not  refuse  a  small  whack-up  to  thee." 

CHORUS  [displaying  the  banker's  generosity 
with  the  money  of  unsuspecting  deposit- 
ors] :  Singing,  tooral,  &c. 

At  the  end  of  the  year,  down  on  Wall  Street  one  day, 
The  Clerk  met  the  Bankier,  and  to  him  did  say  : 
"  I've  got  nine  hundred  dollars  put  safely  away, 
Can  you  recommend  any  investment  that  will  pay  ?" 

CHORUS  [representing  the  young  man  as  pre- 
pared to  take  a  little  flyer]  :  Singing,  too- 
ral, li  looral,  &c. 

Said  that  Bajikier  good  :  "  I  am  one  of  a  pool 
Bearing  W.  U.,  and  I  don't  think  that  you'll 


48  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 

For  your  savings  a  better  investment  e'er  see 
Than  to  sell  a  lot  short  at  about  53."     (Chord.) 

CHORUS  [describing  the  disinterested  manner  in 
which  the  good  banker  gave  him  points] : 
Singing,  tooral,  li  looral,  &c. 

But  I  grieve  to  relate  at  the  close  of  my  song, 

While  the  young  man  went  short  the  Bankier  was  long, 

And  when  W.  U.  got  to  64,  that 

The  good  Bankier  unloaded  and  busted  him  flat  ! 

(Slow  Curtain.) 
CHORUS  [emphasizing  the  proverb,  that  "  Virtue 

is  its  own  reward  "]  : 
Singing,  tooral,  li  looral,  li  looral,  li  lee, 
The  greatest  of  virtues  it  is  economee  ; 
Take  care  of  the  nickels  and  small  currency, 
And  the  dollars  '11  take  care  of  themselves,  don't  you 

see? 
NEW  YORK,  June,  1876.  G.  T.  L. 

— New   York  Evening  Post. 


BANK    LOGIC. 

Of  offenses  most  rank 

Which  imperil  a  Bank, 
There  is  naught  like  the  crime  of  abstracting ; 

Hence  the  pious  cashier 

Gets  up  on  his  ear 
And  denounces,  with  vim  most  distracting, 

The  felonious  clerk, 

Who  adds  to  his  work, 
And  multiplies  sin  by  subtracting 


\ 


A   WALL    STREET    INCIDENT. 
A  TIGHT  MONEY  MARKET.    THE  BEARS  HAVE  IT. 


Poet  Bankers,  49 

The  cash  from  the  till 

His  own  pockets  to  fill, 

Until,  agonies  dreadful  protracting; 

.It  is  found,  all  the  while 

The  cashier's  private  pile 
Has  been  doubled — Bank  assets  contracting. 

So  wags  the  gay  world — 

Thus  the  bright  top  is  twirled — 
The  poor  sinner  who  filches  a  cracker, 

Is  damned  by  the  just, 

As  most  false  to  his  trust, 
Whilst  his  judges  have  characters  blacker  : 

And  the  pious  cashier, 

Who  for  many  a  year 
Made  a  boast  of  his  high  reputation, 

Is  found  out  at  last 

To  have  muchly  surpassed 
The  meek  teller — in  crook'd  computation. 

Indignant  Observer. 

The  above  touching  lines  come  from  the  accom- 
plished Receiver  of  a  certain  bank,  whose  unfortunate 
affairs  he  is  regulating. 


THIS   OLD   STEEL   PEN. 

[WRITTEN  ABOUT  A  PEN  IN  THE  DEPOSIT  NAT.  BANK,  DEPOSIT,  N.  y.] 

I  know  not  when 
This  aged  pen 
Began  its  scribbling  race  ; 
3 


5O  The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 

I've  sought  in  vain, 
Time  and  again, 
To  fix  both  time  and  place. 

I've  traveled  back 

Its  tottering  track, 
For  years  some  half  a  score  ; 

And  make  no  doubt 

It  first  set  out 
As  many  years  before. 

Endowed  were  I 
With  prophesy, 

To  light  the  future  plan, 
I'd  throw  a  ray, 
Adown  the  way 

Through  which  its  pathway  ran. 

I'd  bring  to  light, 
For  present  sight, 

And  pattern  for  to-day, 
The  fogy  ways, 
And  by-gone  days 

Of  old  Methuselah. 

Now  aged  grown, 
And  staid,  I  own, 

Withal  'tis  sharp  and  quick  ; 
'Twill  shyly  hug 
This  matron  mug, 

Then  dance  and  jump  and  kick. 

A  sober  dance, 
A  Shaker  prance, 

One  not  of  s,in  or  pride  : 

r' 


Poet  Bankers. 

And  sage  may  hug 

This  matron  mug 

As  bridegroom  hugs  his  bride. 

And  such  they  are, 
An  old-time  pair, 

Contented,  faithful,  true ; 
They  have  their  fun, 
And  sure  no  one 

Will  blame  them  if  they  da 

For  not  a  day, 

In  fun  or  play, 
This  pen  for  years  hath  lost  : 

Early  and  late, 

To  fix  your  fate, 
'Tis  faithful  at  its  post. 

Your  hopes,  your  fears, 
Your  joys,  your  tears, 

Exalted  or  repressed  ; 
Need  but  invoke 
Its  ready  stroke,    . 

And — you  may  guess  the  rest. 

Your  note  or  bill, 
With  ready  skill, 

'Twill  back,  accept  or  sign, 
And  "  Sesame," 
You  have  the  key   - 

To  open  yonder  mine. 

To  enter  there 
Be  this  your  care, 
The  door  leave  open  wide, 


52  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 

For  it  may  be 
The  self-same  key 
Won't  fit  the  other  side. 

Nor  ever  think 
To  get  the  chink  ; 

For  that,  with  other  ills, 
Is  with  those  times 
When  fools  made  rhymes, 

And  pens  were  made  of  quills. 

But  what  is  this  ? 

Is  aught  amiss, 
Or  was  I  dreaming  quite  ? 

I  thought  I  heard 

A  grumbling  word — 
Some  words  of  hate  or  spite. 

"  With  all  my  might, 

I  tried  to  write 
With  this  confounded  pen  ; 

My  paper  tore, 

I  almost  swore 
I'd  never  try  again. 

"  Time  and  again, 
I've  tried  in  vain 

To  make  a  single  letter ; 
Then  do,  I  pray, 
Take  this  away, 

And  let  me  have  a  better." 

Now  I'm  awake, 
I  can't  mistake, 
I'm  sure  it  was  no  fable  ; 


Poet  Bankers.  53 

But  I  protest, 
Let  this  request 
Be  laid  upon  the  table. 

Or,  I'll  amend, 

And  to  that  end 
The  proposition  vary  ; 

Bring  on  the  new 

The  work  to  do, 
Let  this  be — honorary. 

December,  1869.  T.  MORE. 


THE  TELLER'S  SONG  OF  THE  BANK. 

Work,  work,  work  ! 

And  stand  at  the  desk  all  the  day ; 
Work,  work,  work  ! 

And  bid  an  adieu  to  all  play  ; 
Work,  and  be  constantly  driven  ; 

Wear  the  flesh  from  your  bones  and  your  face  ; 
The  outsiders  think  banking  is  Heaven, 

But  it's  more  like  the  opposite  place  ! 

Count,  count,  and  write  ! 

Count  money  all  day  long  ; 
And  on  taking  your  balance  at  night, 

Have  the  cash  come  provokingly  wrong  ; 
Then  look  till  you're  nervous  and  cross, 

And  hunt  till  you  almost  fear 
You  must  charge  it  to  Profit  and  Loss, 

And  at  last— find  it  on  the  Cashier  ! 

Post,  and  compare,  and  post ! 
Post,  and  compare,  and  check  ! 


54  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 

And  work  till  you  are  almost 

Of  your  former  self  a  wreck. 
Post,  and  check,  and  compare, 

Check,  and  compare,  and  foot, 
Till  you're  driven  almost  to  despair, 

By  the  work  which  upon  you  is  put. 

Ledger  and  Journal  and  Cash, 

And  Blotter  and  Register  too, 
And  the  whole  of  that  blue-edged  trash, 

Which  it  take  one  so  long  to  write  through. 
I  wish  they  could  all  be  turned  back 

To  rags,  real  dirty  and  rank  ; 
And  be  stuffed  down  the  mouth  of  that  jack 

Who  first  invented  a  bank. 
Fiom  The  Hartford  Times,  Conn.,  1852. 


HOW    TO   GET    RICH. 

If  you  will  take  a  bank-note,  and,  while  folding  it  up 
according  to  direction,  peruse  the  following  lines,  you 
will  arrive  at  their  meaning,  with  no  little  admiration 
for  the  writer's  cleverness  : 

"  I  will  tell  you  a  plan  for  gaining  wealth, 

Better  than  banking,  trading  or  leases  ; 
Take  a  bank-note  and  fold  it  up, 

And  then  you  will  find  your  wealth  in-creases. 

"  This  wonderful  plan,  without  danger  or  loss, 

Keeps  your  cash  in  your  hands,  and  with  nothing  to 
trouble  it ; 

And  every  time  that  you  fold  it  across, 

'Tis  plain  as  the  light  of  the  day  that  you  double  it." 


Poet  Bankers.  55 

A  Banking  office  in  Connecticut,  dealing  in  Arizona 
Mining  Stocks,  has  a  genius  who  has  produced  the 
following  : 

SILVER   JINGLE. 

Dig  miners,  dig — dig  with  care 
The  precious  treasure  in  the  Ar- 
izona mines  of  bright  silvaire  ; 
Buy,  neighbors,  buy  the  tempting  share 
Of  the  precious  treasure  in  the  Ar- 
izona mines  of  bright  silvaire. 

Ten  hundred  per  cent,  in  the  gold  ore  fair, 

Ten  hundred  per  cent,  in  the  silver  rare, 

Ten  hundred  per  cent,  in  the  rich  coppaire, 

A  thousand  percent,  for  each  dollaire, 

To  fill  the  pockets  of  the  customaire. 

Buy,  neighbors,  buy  the  tempting  share, 

Till  your  pockets  burst  with  the  bright  silvaire. 

Come,  brothers,  come,  and  take  a  share 
In  the  silver  mine  that  promises  fair 
To  pay  such  dividends  that  you  will  stare. 
You  won't  find  such  chances  everywhere. 
"  Ten  hundred  per  cent.  &c." 

There  are  eleven  verses  of  the  same  sort,  the  machine 
having  got  going  and  couldn't  be  stopped. 


"  Accursed  Debt !  in  whose  relentless  coils 
So  many  brave  souls  have  been  crushed  to  death  : 
Thy  slimy  coils  contaminate  aught  they  touch, 
Nor  let  the  purest  soul  escape  untarnished  ! 
God  save  us  from  thee !" 


56  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 


THE   ANCIENT    BOOK-KEEPER. 
BY  GEORGE  COOPER. 

It  was  an  ancient  book-keeper, 

And  he  was  tall  and  slim  ; 
Tho'  his  face  was  mild,  he  rarely  smiled  ; 

His  clothes  were  dark  and  prim, 
And  everything  about  his  desk 

He  kept  exceeding  trim. 

He  always  hung  his  hat  and  coat 

Upon  the  self-same  hooks, 
And  laid  his  ruler,  pen  and  ink 

In  their  respective  nooks, 
And  the  only  exercise  he  had 

Was  footing  up  his  books. 

Each  day,  upon  the  self-same  hour, 

He  took  his  lofty  seat, 
And  bent  his  body  and  his  mind, 

His  labors  to  complete  ; 
And  blots  were  neither  on  his  fame, 

Nor  on  his  ledger  sheet. 

The  music  of  his  pen  was  heard 

From  morn  till  eventide  ; 
Up  columns  vast  his  eyes  were  cast, 

Then  down  again  with  pride  ; 
Quite  pleased  was  he,  though  he  saw  his  work 

Increased  and  multiplied. 

The  cash  that  o'er  his  fingers  came 
Each  day,  was  something  grand  ; 


Poet  Bankers.  57 

And  yet  no  schemes  to  bear  it  off 

By  him  were  ever  planned  ; 
Although  you  saw  with  half  an  eye 

That  he  wrote  a  "  sloping  "  hand. 

He  had  no  wife,  he  made  no  friends, 

His  joys  and  cares  were  few  ; 
And  his  dearest  hope  from  day  to  day 

Was  to  keep  his  balance  true  ; 
A  good  world  this,  if  every  man 

The  latter  thing  would  do. 

He  never  sighed  when  little  ills 

His  way  of  life  would  cross  ; 
And  o'er  the  errors  of  his  youth 

He  showed  no  vain  remorse  ; 
But  set  down  all  that  came  along 

To  profit  or  to  loss. 

One  day  the  Creditor  of  all 

Dropped  in  for  his  amount ; 
He  found  the  old  man  at  his  post, 

Though  low  ran  nature's  fount ; 
The  books  were  closed,  and  he  was  borne 

Up  to  his  last  account. 


A  MONODY  ON  MONEY. 
[DEDICATED  TO  OUR  "VERY"  PARTICULAR  BANKERS.] 

"  I  know  a  bank  "  where  busy  men  are  daily  seen  to 

pore 
Over  their  books,  with  earnest  zeal,  from  ten  o'clock  till 

four ; 
3* 


58  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 

From  whose  retreat  are  issued  forth  more  rich  and 
treasured  notes 

Than  ever  have  been  known  to  come  from  sweetest  song- 
birds' throats  ; 

Where  crowns  abound  and  sov'reigns  rule  the  place 
with  despot  sway, 

For  no  one  there  will  check  their  power,  so  well  belov'd 
are  they. 

There  seems  a  money  mania  for  everything  that's  dear, 

And,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  I've  heard  that  far-things 
here  are  near. 

Cleopatra  drank  pearls,  they  say,  but  here  she  is 
outvied — 

If  pork  they  wish  they've  guinea  pigs  ;  if  beef,  the  silver 
side. 

Their  drink  is  pure  aqua  d'ora,  and  I  have  heard  it's 
true 

Their  servant  men  are  Bills  and  Franks,  their  house- 
maid is  a  Sou. 

And  now,  before  I  end  my  lay,  I  ought  to  make  it 
known 

That  though  this  bank  is  always  thronged,  each  one 
may  get  a- loan  ; 

And  though  these  bankers  care  for  gold,  it  never  can  be 
said 

Matter-o-money  it  will  be  if  ever  they  are  wed. 


[FOUND  WRITTEN  IN  LADIES'  SCRIPT,  ON  AN  OLD  BANK  NOTE,] 

Well  might  the  immortal  Shakespeare  say  'twere  trash, 
If  then,  as  now,  men  dealt  in  paper  cash. 


Poet  Bankers.  59 


MOTHER   GOOSE    IN    WALL    STREET. 

Hark  !  hark  !  the  banks  do  bark, 

The  brokers  have  come  to  town, 
Some  with  bags  and  some  with  rags, 

To  hunt  the  specie  down. 

There  was  a  man  in  our  town, 

Who  was  so  wondrous  wise 
He  jumped  into  a  first-class  bank 

And  drew  out  his  supplies-; 
And  when  he  got  his  money  out, 

With  all  his  might  and  main, 
He  rushed  into  another  bank,     • 

And  concluded  that,  all  things  considered,  he 
might  as  well  deposit  it  again. 


Here  we  go,  up,  up,  up, 

Here  we  go,  round,  round,  roundy, 
Here  we  go,  backward  and  forward,   . 

Here  we  go,  down,  down,  downy. 

(Stock  Reports?) 


Note-shaver  !  note-shaver ! 

Fly  away  home ! 
Your  notes  are  protested, 

Your  fingers  will  burn. 


Baa  !  baa  !  bank-sheep,  have  you  any  gold  ?  '  . 

Yes,  marry  have  I,  three  bags  told  ; 
One  for  depositors,  one  for  me, 

And  one  for  an  old  chap  that  lives  across  the  sea. 


The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 

Buy  my  check,  pay  my  check,  banker's  man. 
No,  I  can't,  master,  by  any  plan. 
Then  take  it  and  cross  it  and  mark  it  with  G, 
And  then  it  will  do  for  "  Smithy  "  and  me. 


High  ding  diddle,  remember  Nick  Biddle, 
The  banks  have  gone  up  like  balloons  ; 

The  Democrats  laughed  to  see  the  sport, 
And  Ben  ran  away  with  the  spoons  ! 


Pretty  Director  !  your  bank  let  me  milk, 
I'll  give  your  lady  an  imported  silk, 
And  a  dozen  gloves,  as  you  shall  see, 
^If  you  will  come  down  with  a  discount  to  me. 


AFTER    BURNS. 


'Tis  naught  when  woman  humbugs  man, 
For  that's  the  good  old  style ; 

But  oh,  man's  confidence  in  man 
Makes  countless  thousands  smile. 


THE   POPULAR   CREED DIMES   AND   DOLLARS. 

Dimes  and  dollars,  dollars  and  dimes  ! 
An  empty  pocket  is  the  worst  of  crimes ! 
If  a  man's  down  give  him  a  thrust — 
Trample  the  beggar  into  the  dust ! 
Presumptuous  poverty  is  quite  appalling — 
Knock  him  over  !  kick  him  for  falling  ! 


Poet  Bankers.  61 

If  a  man's  up,  oh  !  lift  him  higher  ! 
Your  soul's  for  sale,  and  he's  the  buyer. 

Dimes  and  dollars,  dollars  and  dimes  ! 
An  empty  pocket  is  the  worst  of  crimes. 

I  know  a  bold  and  honest  man, 

Who  strives  to  live  on  the  Christian's  plan, 

But  poor  he  is,  and  poor  will  be, 

A  scorned  and  hated  wretch  is  he  ; 

At  home  he  meeteth  a  starving  wife, 

Abroad  he  leadeth  a  leper's  life. 

They  struggle  against  a  fearful  odds 

Who  will  not  bow  to  the  people's  gods  ! 

Dimes  and  dollars,  dollars  and  dimes  ! 
An  empty  pocket  is  the  worst  of  crimes  ! 

I  know  a  poor  but  worthy  youth, 

Whose  hopes  are  built  on  a  maiden's  truth  ; 

But  the  maiden  will  break  her  vow  with  ease, 

For  a  wooer  cometh  whose  charms  are  these  : 

A  hollow  heart  and  an  empty  head, 

A  nose  well  tinged  with  brandy  red, 

A  soul  well  trained  in  villainy's  school — 

But  cash,  sweet  cash — he  knoweth  the  rule  : 

Dimes  and  dollars,  dollars  and  dimes  ! 
An  empty  pocket  is  the  worst  of  crimes  ! 

So  get  ye  wealth,  no  matter  how  ! 

"  No  questions  asked  "  of  the  rich,  I  trow  ! 

Steal  by  night  and  steal  by  day 

(Doing  it  all  in  a  legal  way) ; 

Join  the  church  and  never  forsake  her  ; 

Learn  to  cant  and  insult  your  Maker ; 


62  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 

Be  hypocrite,  liar,  knave  and  fool, 
But  don't  be  poor  ;  remember  the  rule  : 

Dimes  and  dollars,  dollars  and  dimes  ! 
An  empty  pocket  is  the  worst  of  crimes  ! 

By  one  of  the  Immortal  Unknown. 


ON    A    POSTAL    CARD. 

Blessings  be  on  thee  and  on  thy  designer, 

Thou  little  penny  parallelogram  ; 
And,  if  thou  art  in  every  sense  its  minor, 

I  like  thee  better  than  the  telegram. 

Thou  art  less  swift  and,  happily,  less  stealthy, — 
Not  gliding  on  us  like  a  midnight  ghost. 

I  leave  the  wires  for  the  fast  and  wealthy, 
And  sing  thy  virtues,  little  penny-post. 

There  is  no  air  of  secrecy  about  thee, 

Thou  comest  on  the  square,  with  open  face ; 

And  half  the  world  were  at  a  loss,  without  thee, 
To  get  and  send  much  news  in  little  space. 

Thy  cheapness  is  but  one  of  virtues  many, 
Thou  art,  besides,  a  labor-saving  plan  ; 

It  costs  us  but  a  pen-scratch  and  a  penny 
To  write  to  Dick — "  or  any  other  man." 

I  only  hope  'twill  not  become  the  fashion 
(I  hear  with  pain  the  process  has  begun) 

To  mar  thy  face  by  sending  claims  for  cash  on, 
For  then,  alas  !  thy  wit  and  worth  are  dun. 

But  may  thy  open  face  rebuke'all  evil, 
And  check  all  malice  of  the  pen  and  press. 


Poet  Bankers.  63 

The  sealed  envelope  better  suits  the  D 1 

To  cover  schemes  of  wrong  and  wantonness. 

W.  C.  RICHARDS. 


Watts,  adapted    to   the    requirements   of    a  certain 
note-shaver. 

"  Blest  be  that  man  whose  sole  intent 

Is  righteously  to  live. 
A  pious  heart  and  twelve  per  cent. 
Makes  all  that  life  can  give." 


A    CASUS    ANATOMICUS. 


A  wealthy  banker  died  ;  his  body  was  dissected  ; 

No  symptom  of  disease  was  anywhere  detected 

Until  they  reached  the  heart — to  find  they  were  unable, 

But  in  the  place  was  found — a  compound  interest  table  ! 


A  Mechanicsburg,  Pa.,  bank  once  paid  a  check  on  which 
some  spirituous-ly  inclined  poet  had  indorsed  : 

"  The  melancholy  days  have  come, — 

The  saddest  of  the  year  ; 
Not  cold  enough  for  whisky  punch, — 
I'll  invest  this  V  in  beer.' 


When  panics  come,  who  seems  to  wear 
A  calm,  serene,  superior  air, 
As  though  it  wasn't  his  affair  ? 

My  broker ! 

— London  Charivari. 


The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 


A    HINT    TO    YOUNG    MEN. 

"  Only  a  name  to  be  written  down  here — 
A  name  not  my  own  ;  how  I  tremble  with  fear  ! 
One  dash  of  the  pen,  up  and  down  strokes  say  twenty, 
And  the  bold  deed  is  done  that  will  bring  me  cash 

plenty. 

The  strong  man  (?)  determines,  then  falters  with  dread, 
While  the  simple  word  '  only  '  runs  wild  through  his 

head, 

Ay,  only  an  act,  done  in  ten  seconds'  time — 
Only  a  forgery — only  a  crime  ! 

"  Only  a  cell,  with  its  limited  space — 
Only  black  ruin  and  blacker  disgrace  ; 
Forfeited  honor  and  standing  and  truth  ; 
Primitive  cause — too  much  license  in  youth. 
Only  a  penny,  and  only  a  dime  ; 
Only  a  dollar  or  two  to  kill  time  ; 
Only — till  no  earthly  power  can  save  ; 
Only  till  left — there  is  only  the  grave." 


A  broker  sends  a  New  York  paper  his  addition  to  the 
Litany  in  this  feeling  style  : 

"From  Chapman's  Iron  Mountain, 
From  Stockwell's  A.  and  P.  ; 
From  Western  Union's  Divvy, 
From  Boston,  H.  &  E:  ; 
From  Jay  Gould's  North- West  Corner, 
From  Dick  Schell's  Guaranty- — 
From  all  these  Wall  street  bubbles 
Good  Lord,  deliver  me  !" 


Poet  Bankers.  65 


The  following  lines  have  been  printed  on  the  back  of 
many  of  the  "  Gray-backs,"  or  Confederate  bills,  which 
circulated  so  extensively  in  the  Southern  States  during 
the  late  war.  They  were  written  by  Major  S.  A.  Jonas, 
of  the  Texas  Brigade  : 

"  IN  MEMORIAM. 

["RESPECTFULLY   DEDICATED   TO   THE   HOLDERS   OF   CONFEDERATE 
TREASURY  NOTES.] 

"  Representing  nothing  on  God's  earth  now, 

And  nought  in  the  waters  below  it, 
As  a  pledge  of  the  nation  that's  dead  and  gone, 
Keep  it,  dear  friend,  and  show  it. 

"Too  poor  to  possess  the  precious  ores, 

And  too  much  of  a  stranger  to  borrow, 
We  issued  to-day  our  promise  to  pay, 
And  hoped  to  redeem  on  the  morrow. 

"The  days  rolled  on  and  weeks  became  years, 

But  our  coffers  were  empty  still ; 
Coin  was  so  rare  that  the  Treasury  quaked, 
If  a  dollar  should  drop  in  the  till. 

"  We  knew  it  had  hardly  a  value  in  gold, 
Yet  as  gold  our  soldiers  received  it  ; 
It  gazed  in  our  eyes  with  a  promise  to  pay, 
And  each  patriot  soldier  believed  it. 

"  Keep  it,  for  it  tells  our  history  all  o'er, 

From  the  birth  of  its  dream  to  the  last ; 
Modest,  and  born  of  the  angel  Hope, 
Like  the  hope  of  success — it  passed." 


66  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 


A    NEW    INDUSTRY. 

The  great  economic  question  of  the  day, 
Labor,  is  solved  in  a  way 

That  is  no  joke. 

North  and  South,  industrial  schools, 
All,  should  know  the  rules 

For  disposing  of  smoke. 
In  your  chimneys  put  ladders — 
Get  balloons,  baskets  and  bladders — 

And  carry  it  out — 
Thus  you  give  the  students  a  show, 
To  pay  up  as  they  go, 

And  to  keep  off  the  gout 
Never  mind  about  the  faces  : 
To  red  and  black  races 

It  is  well  suited. 
And,  I  dare  say,  for  the  white 
It  will  prove  just  right — 

If  not  refuted. , 

(PRIVATE. — To  the  Scrap-Book.) 

You  may  think  it  foolish, 
To  put  anything  schoolish 

In  these  pages ; 
But  if  on  selling  you're  bent, 
You  must  give  equivalent 

the  sages. 

CROWELL. 

The  above,  from  the  ready  pen  and  pencil  of  a  "  Boss 
Printer"  in  an  industrial  school  not  far  from  Hampton, 


Poet  Bankers. 

Va.,  where  a  new  workshop  with 
tall  chimney  is  going  up,  and 
where  little  Indians  and  young 
Africans  are  taught  how  to  labor 
and  to  learn,  has  perhaps  but 
mild  reference  to  the  bank  busi- 
ness, though  it  may  illustrate 
some  moral  point  in  stock- 
bubble  operations.  It  will  bear 
close  study,  and  being  a  long 
way  ahead  of  some  other  things 
pasted  in  this  Scrap-Book,  it  has 
a  right  to  its  little  page. 


n 


"  This  world  is  the  best,  that  we 

live  in, 
To  lend,  or  to  spend,  or  to  give 

in; 
But  to  beg,  or  to  borrow,  or  get 

a  man's  own, 

'Tis   the  very  worst  world,  sir, 
that  ever  was  known." 

OLD  SONG. 


A  NEW  INDUSTRY. 


The  finance-minister,  under  whose  reign  England  was 
fated  to  become  for  a  time  an  irredeemable-paper-money 


68  ,    The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 

country,  was  thus  satirized  in  a  current  epigram  of  the 

day  : 

"  Of  Augustus  and  Rome 
The  poets  still  warble ; 
How  he  found  it  of  brick, 

And  left  it  of  marble. 
So  of  Pitt  and  of  England 

We  may  say  without  vapor, 
That  he  found  it  of  gold, 
And  left  it  of  paper." 


CRCESUS. 

My  little  Charlie  said  to  me 

That  he  had  lots  of  riches. 
"How  much,  old  man  ?"  said  I  ;  said  he, 

"  Two  farthings  in  my  breeches, 

"A  silver  fourpence  in  my  purse, 
And  one  French  bit  of  money," 

Then  added  (speaking  of  his  nurse), 
"  'Twas  given  me  by  Nunny. 

"  A  lucky  sixpence,  father,  too  ;" 
He  paused  as  though  to  measure 

With  those  grave  eyes  what  I  should  do, 
On  hearing  of  such  treasure. 

With  those  grave  eyes  he  looked  at  me, 
Ere  he  resumed  his  parley — 

It  was  as  plain  as  A,  B,  C, 

(Or  plainer,  perhaps,  to  Charlie), 

That  weighty  matters  were  our  cue, 
We  meant  to  sift  and  try  'em — 


Poet  Bankers.  69 

"  And  father,"  Charlie  said,  "  are  you 
As  rich  a  man  as  I  am  ?" 

And  I  replied — the  while  I  drew 

My  arm  around  his  shoulder — 
"  Charlie,  I'm  not  so  rich  as  you, 

Because  I'm  ages  older." 

— London  Spectator. 


GOLD. 

If  hoarded  gold  possessed  the  power 
To  lengthen  life's  too  fleeting  hour, 
And  purchase  from  the  hand  of  Death 
A  little  span,  a  moment's  breath, 
How  I  would  love  the  precious  ore, 
And  every  hour  should  swell  my  store  ; 
That  when  Death  came  with  shadowy  pinion, 
To  waft  me  to  his  bleak  dominion, 
I  might  by  bribes  my  doom  delay, 
And  bid  him  call  some  distant  day. 
But  since  not  all  earth's  golden  store 
Can  buy  for  us  one  bright  hour  more, 
Why  should  we  vainly  mourn  our  fate, 
Or  sigh  at  life's  uncertain  date  ? 
Nor  wealth  nor  grandeur  can  illume 
The  silent  midnight  of  the  tomb. 
No-^give  to  others  hoarded  treasures- 
Mine  be  the  brilliant  round  of  pleasures  ; 
The  goblet  rich,  the  board  of  friends, 
Whose  social  souls  the  goblet  mends  ; 
And  mine,  while  yet  I've  life  to  live, 
Those  joys  that  love  alone  can  give. 

— Moore's  Odes  of  Anacreon. 


70  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 


YOUTH   AND   AGE. 

How  slow,  how  sure,  how  swift, 
The  sands  within  each  glass, 
The  brief  illusive  moments  pass  ! 
Half  unawares  we  mark  their  drift, 

Till  the  awakened  heart  cries  out, — Alas  ! 
Alas,  the  fair  occasion  fled, 
The  precious  chance  to  action  all  unwed  ! 
And  murmurs  in  its  depths  the  old  refrain, — 
Had  we  but  known  betimes  what  now  we  know  in  vain  ! 

When  the  vail  from  the  eyes  is  lifted, 

The  seer's  head  is  gray  ; 
When  the  sailor  to  shore  has  drifted 

The  sirens  are  far  away. 
Why  must  the  clearer  vision, 

The  wisdom  of  Life's  late  hour, 
Come,  as  in  Fate's  derision, 

When  the  hand  hath  lost  its  power? 

Is  there  a  rarer  being, 

Is  there  a  fairer  sphere, 
Where  the  strong  are  not  unseeing, 

And  the  harvests  are  not  sere  ; 
Where,  ere  the  seasons  dwindle 

They  yield  their  due  return  ; 
Where  the  lamps  of  knowledge  kindle 

While  the  flames  of  youth  still  burn  ? 
Oh,  for  the  young  man's  chances  ! 

Oh,  for  the  old  man's  will ! 
Those  flee  while  this  advances, 

And  the  strong  years  cheat  us  still. 

— Stedmaris  Dartmouth  Ode, 


HUMOROUS    CLIPPINGS   AND    LAUGH- 
ABLE   EXPERIENCES. 


"  I  am  persuaded  that  every  time  a  man  smiles — but  much  more 
so  when  he  laughs — it  adds  something  to  this  fragment  of  life." 

— STERNE. 

"  Every  time  a  man  laffs  he  takes  a  kink  out  ov  the  chain  ov  life, 
and  thus  lengthens  it." — BILLINGS. 


HUMOR  OF  CASHIERS'   NAMES. 

IN  the  Cashier's  Directory  of  the  United  States,  the 
reader  can  readily  learn  "what's  in  a  name,"  and  will 
doubtless  be  amused  and  edified  to  know  how  many 
bear  so  appropriate  and  suggestive  a  cognomen.  We 
cull  the  following  specimens  : 

There  are  2  Angells,  i  Raphael,  i  Batt,  4  Cranes,  i 
Kite,  2  Rich  men  and  i  Poor  man  ;  2  Shoemakers  and  i 
Squire  ;  i  Pope,  i  Church,  4  Bishops  and  2  Temples ;  2 
Mills  and  15  Millers  ;  2  Little  men,  2  Long  and  i 
Low  man  ;  a  Mr.  Sharp,  Mr.  Quirk  (presumably  a  law- 
yer), Mr.  Flint,  Mr.  Fogg,  Mr.  Bird,  Mr.  Doe  (not  John) 
and  Mr.  Drake.  There  is  i  Early  man,  4  Fisher  men, 
i  Fidlar,  2  Colliers,  7  Cooks,  4  Carpenters,  2  Nobles,  4 
Kings,  besides  Miss  Annie  M.  King  (cashier  at  New 

Sharon,  Iowa),  2  descendants  of  Ham,  5  Greens,  2  Gold- 

[71] 


72  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 

smiths,  i  Glazier,  2  Gay  fellows,  4  Lambs,  i  Buck,  . 
Lepper,  8  Bells,  i  Chick  and  i  Child,  and  one  man  who 
is  certainly  a  Dame.  One  cashier  is  a  Jack,  another  a 
Good-sell,  and  still  another  remarkably  Sweet.  But  we 
grieve  to  say  there  are  3  who  are  Skinners  !  4  whose 
names,  at  least,  are  Steel  !  (to  spare  their  feelings  we 
spell  it  the  other  way),  and  there  are  but  i  Manly  per- 
son, 2  Learned  men,  and  i  Just  man  reported  in  the 
entire  lot.  Imagine  all  these  standing  in  line  for  dress 
parade  !  "  PER  SE." 


QUEER  BANK  TITLES. 

Niedersaechsische  Bank. 
Deutsche  Genossenschafts  Bank. 
Braunschweigische  Bank. 
Schaafhausencher  Bank  Verien. 
Bayerische  Hypotheken  und  Wechsel  Bank. 
Mecklenburgische  Hypotheken  und  Wechsel  Bank. 
(Not  necessary  to  say  the  above  are  in  Germany.) 

In  the  Netherlands,  we  find  : 

The  Commanditaire  Bankvereeniging. 

In  Sweden : 

Skandinaviska  Kredit  Aktie  Bolaget,  and  Aktiebolaget 
Goteborg  Kopmannss  Bank. 

In  Hungary  : 

Filiale  der  Oesterreichischen  Credit- Anstalt. 


Humorous   Clippings.  73 

And  the  Wise  Men  of  Athens  bank  their  savings  in 
the 

JSanque  Hdlenique  de  Credit  General. 

It  is  hoped  these  institutions  are  well  provided  with 
printed  forms,  address-cards,  &c.,— as  life  is  short. 


WORKING    BOTH   WAYS. 

A  number  of  very  smart  bank-clerks  have  drawn  up 
the  rules  for  customers  which  we  print  below,  and  have 
amused  themselves  and  insulted  the  public  by  display- 
ing these  rules  over  the  bank  counters.  They  are  poor 
rules  which  will  not  work  both  ways  ;  and  we  therefore 
add  to  them  a  few  rules  for  clerks,  and  print  the  two 
sets  of  instructions  in  parallel  columns,  so  that  he  who 
runs  may  read.  In  this  form  they  will  be  found  suitable 
for  any  bank,  and  we  hope  to  see  them  pasted  all  over 
the  country. 

We  have  only  to  add  that  there  would  be  more 
necessity  for  our  rules  if  the  majority  of  bank-clerks 
had  not  adopted  them  in  practice  already. 

RULES  FOR  BANK  CUSTOMERS.         RULES   FOR   BANK   CLERKS. 

i.     If     you     have     any         i.     Always        remember 

business  with  a  bank  put  that  the  bank   is  open  for 

it   off  until  three  o'clock,  your  own  convenience— not 

or,  if  possible,  a  little  later,  for  the  use  of  its  patrons— 


74 


The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 


as  it  looks  more  business- 
like to  rush  in  as  the  bank 
is  closing. 

2.  Never  put  stamps  on 
your  checks  before  you  get 
to  the  bank,  but  give  the 
teller  two  cents,   and    ask 
him  to  lick  it  and  cancel  it 
for  you  ;  the  teller  expects 
to  lick  all  the  stamps,  and 
it  is  a  source  of  disappoint- 
ment to  him  when  people 
insist   on   doing    it    them- 
selves,  and  will   save  him 
buying  his  lunch. 

3.  It  is  best  not  to  take 
your  bank  book  with  you, 
but   call   at    another    time 
and  have  it  entered.     You 
can  thus  make  two  trips  to 
the  bank  where  one  would 
answer. 

4.  If    a  check   is  made 
payable  to  your  order,  be 
careful    not    to    indorse  it 
before   handing    it   to    the 
teller,  but  l^et  him  return  it 
to  you  and  wait  while  you 
indorse   it  ;    this    helps    to 
pass    the    tirne,    and    is    3 


and  govern  yourselves  ac- 
cordingly. 

2.  Make  all  the  fuss 
you  can  about  stamps. 
Say  you  haven't  any,  or 
can't  sell  them.  Give  the 
customer  as  much  trouble 
as  possible 


3.  In  paying  checks 
always  give  out  the  largest 
bills.  Customers  are  so 
fond  of  $100  bills. 


4.  Always  grumble  very 
loudly  about  making  up 
the  bank-books.  What 
right  has  a  customer  to 
know  how  his  account 
stands? 


Humorous   Clippings. 


pleasure  and  relief  to  the 
teller.  You  can  generally 
save  time  when  making  a 
deposit  by  counting  down 
your  money  to  the  teller, 
as  you  can  nearly  always 
count  more  speedily  and 
correctly  than  he  can. 

5.  If    you    make   a   de- 
posit  of   $100  and   give  a 
check  for  $50,  it  is  a  good 
thing  to  call  frequently  at 
the  bank  and  ask  how  your 
account   stands,    as   it    im- 
presses the    officers  favor- 
ably   with    your    business 
qualifications. 

6.  When     your     notes 
come  due  and   payment  is 
requested,    ask    why    they 
can't  wait,  and  what  they 
intend     to     do    with     the 
money  when    they   get    it. 
If  they  still  persist,  inquire 
if  the  bank  is  hard  up,  that 
they    should    be     in    such 
want   for   money.       Never 
pay   protest    fees,   but   say 
you  forgot  when  this  note 
matured,     and     that     you 


5.  If  you  know  the  in- 
dorser  of  a  check,  say  that 
you  do  not  know  his  hand- 
writing. Never  pay  a 
check  if  you  can  help  it. 
This  keeps  the  money  in 
the  bank. 


6.  In  counting  money, 
correct  all  the  mistakes 
which  tell  against  the 
bank  ;  but  stick  to  those 
which  rob  the  customer. 


TJie  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 


never  pay  protest  fees  any- 
how,— you  would  be  d — d 
first. 

7.  When  you  present  to 
the  bank  a   draft,  payable 
to  your  order,  never  fail  to 
exhibit   profound   surprise 
and  fierce  indignation  that 
you     are     required    to   be 
identified     as    the     proper 
person      to      receive      the 
money.     If  the  teller  per- 
sists  in   this   eccentric   re- 
quest,  affirm    boldly    how 
long  you  have  lived  at  No. 
2244  Brown  street,  and  how 
Timothy       Snobbin       has 
known    you    all    his    life. 
Stand  up   for    your  rights 
like  a  man,  and  never  say 
fail. 

8.  In    banking    money, 
spread  yourself  before  the 
bank    counter,   and    count 
your  shinplasters  bottom- 
side  up,  one  by  one,  and, 
showing  them  to  the  teller 
in   sundry  piles,   entertain 
him   meanwhile  by  a  gen- 
eral report  of  your  private 


7.  It  is  the  duty  of  every 
customer  to  make  a  good 
impression  upon  you.  If 
he  does  not,  take  no  notice 
of  him  when  he  wants 
change  or  cash. 


8.  Of  course  you  will 
never  be  weak  enough  to 
give  a  customer  notice 
when  his  notes  fall  due. 
Why  should  you  care  if  he 
be  ruined  ? 


Humorous   Clippings. 


77 


affairs.  In  this  manner 
you  not  only  astonish  the 
bank  officials  with  the  dis- 
play of  your  money,  but, 
by  exercising  the  patience 
of  such  nervous  customers 
as  may  be  waiting  for  their 
turn,  you  accomplish  a 
public  good. 

9.  Always     date     your 
checks  ahead,  it  is  a  never- 
failing  sign  that  you  keep 
a  good  balance  in  bank  ; 
or,  if  you  do  not  wish  it 
generally  known  that  you 
are  doing  a  good  business, 
do  not  deposit  your  money 
until  about  the   time   you 
expect  your  check  will  be 
in. 

10.  In  depositing  money 
never  make  out  a  deposit 
ticket.     The  teller  has  the 
blanks  in  his  case  for  that 
purpose,  and  expects  to  fill 
them     out     himself.        It 
annoys  him   to   have   you 
offer  to  do  it  ;   besides,  if 
others  are  waiting,  it  gives 
them  a  chance  to  exercise 


9.  Recollect  that  you 
are  not  the  servant  of  the 
bank  patrons  ;  but  a  great 
man,  to  whom  they  should 
cringe.  You  must  cringe 
to  the  president  and 
cashier  ;  but  bully  the  cus- 
tomers to  make  up  for  it. 


10.  If  there  be  a  mis- 
take of  a  date  or  a  figure 
on  a  deposit  ticket,  never 
correct  it.  Send  the  cus- 
tomer back  to  make  out 
another.  His  time  is  of  no 
value,  and  yours  is  price- 
less. 


The  Bankers*  Scrap-Book. 


patience,  which  is  a  great 
virtue. 

ii.  In  receiving  money 
from  a  teller,  never  say  in 
advance  how  you  want  it, 
but  hand  back  each  note 
separately,  and  ask  him  to 
break  it. 

Banks  have  high  no- 
tions, but  show  them  that 
you  know  what's  what,  and 
don't  let  them  fool  you. 

A  strict  observance  of 
the  foregoing  rules  will 
make  your  account  desir- 
able for  any  bank,  and 
make  you  a  general  favorite 
with  all  the  bank  officers. 


ii.  Scowl  at  anybody 
who  asks  you  for  currency 
or  change.  Why  should 
people  bother  you  about 
such  trifles,  when  your 
mighty  mind  is  full  of  pie 
or  Sarah  Ann  ? 


A  strict  observance  of 
the  foregoing  rules  will 
make  you  a  desirable  clerk, 
a  model  of  your  class,  and 
a  favorite  with  the  suffer- 
ing public. 


MISTAKEN    IDENTITY. 

The  genial  cashier  of  the  Holton  Exchange  Bank, 
Kansas,  claims  to  be  "no  artist  as  well  as  no  poet,  but 
the  pioneer  bank  of  Jackson  County,"  having  started  in 
'72,  in  a  little  one-story,  one-room  frame  building. 

During  those  early  days  of  frontier  financiering,  there 
appeared  one  day  at  the  counter  a  couple  of  Texas 
rangers,  who  desired  the  meek  man  in  waiting  to  "  set 


Humorous   Clippings.  79 

• 

us  up  a  couple  o'  glasses,  Mister."  The  cashier  hesitat- 
ing, the  request  was  repeated  rather  emphatically.  Per- 
ceiving they  were  in  earnest,  he  asked  them  at  last  what 
they  took  him  for,  and  exhibiting  a  bottle  of  "  Arnold's 
Fluid,"  assured  those  children  of  the  desert  that  that  was 
the  only  stimulant  there  dealt  in,  and  persuaded  them 
he  was  by  no  means  running  a  saloon.  They  left. 


A  COMMON  INCIDENT. 

Enter,  a  positive  customer.  He  desires  to  deposit  a 
hundred  dollars.  Cashier  makes  it  but  seventy-six. 

"  I  put  down  a  hundred,  sir  !  I'll  take  my  affidavit  I 
did,  sir  !"  Blusters  about  a  few  minutes,  and  gets  ex- 
cited over  it.  At  last  the  old  man  opens  his  memoran- 
dum-book again,  and  takes  a  fresh  look.  "  Ah  !  here 
they  are — twenty  and  two  2*3  !  Beg  pardon,"  &c.,  &c. 


THE  MARRYING  BANK. 

Our  five-year-old  Richie,  who  is  "peart"  and  inquisi- 
tive, astonished  his  governor  this  morning  with  the  query: 
"Papa,  do  they  marry  people  in  that  Bank?"  "Of 
course  not,"  is  the  immediate  reply  ;  "what  possessed 
you  to  ask  that  ?"  u  Why,  it  says  '  Marine  Bank  '  over 
the  door,  and  why  should  they  put  up  the  sign  if  they 
don't  do  it  ?" 


8o  The  Bankers    Scrap-Book. 

First  National  Bank  of  Red  Bank,  N.  J.,  Dec.  12, 
1878,  sends  in  its  experiences  thus  : 

A  check  was  presented  to  me  by  an  Irishman,  to  be 
cashed,  who  had  not  indorsed  it.  I  returned  it  to  him, 
telling  him  to  put  his  name  on  it.  When  handed  to  me 
again,  I  noticed  that  he  had  written  his  name  on  the  face 
of  the  check.  I  threw  it  to  him,  and  said,  "  Across  the 
back  ;"  when  handed  me  the  third  time,  it  was  with  the 
remark — "  Seems  to  me  you  fellows  are  divilish  particu- 
lar," and  with  a  large  cross  roughly  drawn  on  the  back. 


An  Irishman,  unknown  to  me,  presented  a  check  of 
one  of  our  customers,  payable  to  the  order  of  Pat 
O'Flaherty.  I  told  him  it  would  be  necessary  for  him 
to  bring  some  one  to  identify  him.  "  Identify  !  and 
what  in  God's  name  is  that  ?"  he  answered.  I  endeav- 
ored to  explain  to  him  that  he  must  go  and  bring  in 
some  of  his  friends  whom  we  knew  to  satisfy  us  that  he 
was  Pat  O'Flaherty.  "  All  right,"  he  said,  and  started 
off  ;  but  had  scarcely  gone  fifty  yards  when  he  returned, 
and  with  a  knowing  twinkle  in  his  eye,  called  out  to  me, 
•'See  here,  if  I'm  not  Pat  O'Flaherty,  who  the  divil  am 
I  ?"  This  was  unanswerable. 


CHEAP  SILVER. 

It  occurred  twenty-two  years  ago,  when  I  was  cashier 
of  a  country  bank.     I  had  been  to  the  city  of  ,  to 


Humorous  Clippings.  81 

bring  home  a  sum  of  silver  coin  for  daily  use,  and  whilst  I 
was  seated  at  my  table  counting  and  putting  it  into  paper 
rolls  of  five  and  ten  dollars  each,  an  old  gentleman  entered 
the  bank,  and  his  bright  eyes  soon  discovered  the  great 
pile  of  new  silver  quarters  before  me.  Elated  at  the 
sight  (for  he  was  a  genuine  Bentonian  Democrat),  he 
quickly  asked  me  where  I  obtained  them.  I  replied, 
"  At  the  mint,  of  course."  "  Is  it  possible  ?"  said  he  ; 
''and  what  do  you  have  to  pay  for  them?"  "Oh,"  said 
I,  "  not  much  ;  I  can  get  all  I  want  at  the  same  price  I 
paid  for  these."  "And  how  much  was  that?"  earnestly 
questioned  he.  "  Well,"  I  replied,  "  I  got  this  pile  which 
you  see,  for  twelve  and  thirteen  cents  apiece,  and  I  was 
offered  as  much  more  at  the  same  rates."  "  You  don't 
say  so  !"  "Yes,"  I  answered,  "there's  nothing  remark- 
able in  that,  is  there  ?"  "  Why,  yes ;  could  you  get  some 
for  me  on  the  same  terms,  and  will  you  take  the  trouble 
to  do  so  forme?"  "Certainly,"  I  replied,  "and  I  will 
give  you  as  many  of  this  pile  for  your  present  need  as 
you  may  require."  The  old  gentleman  had  seldom  been 
away  from  the  shadow  of  his  dwelling  and  out-buildings 
on  a  well-to-do  farm  away  out  in  fthe  country,  and  had 
never  read  anything  but  the  Globe  and  Democrat,  but 
he  at  once  drew  his  check  for  all  his  balance  in  the 
bank  and  handed  it  to  me,  with  many  thanks  for  my 
courtesy.  I  handed  over  to  him  its  value  in  silver  quar- 
ters, but  it  was  some  time  before  he  realized  that  twelve 
and  thirteen  cents  were  jointly  necessary  to  purchase  one 
of  Uncle  Sam's  silver  quarters. 

B.  F.  C. 


82  The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 


AN    IRISH    AFFIDAVIT. 

Some  time  in  December,  1878,  the  coal  companies  in 
this  town  paid  the  miners  the  wages  due  them  for  the 
preceding  month,  and,  as  is  the  custom  throughout  the 
anthracite  coal  region,  the  miners  gave  the  pay  to  their 

wives.     A   Mrs.   K ,  of  this  place,  had  received  the 

money  from  her  husband,  and  left  her  pocket-book  lying 
on  the  table  in  the  kitchen,  with  a  portion  of  a  $20  U. 
S.  note  sticking  out  at  the  clasp.  A  goat,  seeing  the 
green  paper,  jumped  on  the  table,  opened  the  pocket- 
book,  and  before  Mrs.  K had  time  to  look  around, 

the  goat  had  eaten  the  twenty-dollar  note.     Mr.  K 

immediately  killed  the  goat,  and  took  the  chewed-up  bill 

from  its  entrails.     Mrs.  K came  to  our  institution  in 

great  distress,  with  the  mutilated  pieces,  and  we  directed 
her  to  make  an  affidavit  stating  the  manner  in  which  the 
bill  was  destroyed,  so  as  to  have  it  redeemed  by  the 
Treasury  Department.  She  returned  th'j  following  affi- 
davit, made  before  an  Irish  alderman  of  this  place  : 

State  of  Penna,     ) 
Schuylkill  County,  j" ss"  '' 

On  this  i4th  day  of  December,  1878,  before  me,  a 
justice  of  the  peace,  personally  appeared  Mrs.  Bridget 

K ,  who,  being  duly  sworn  according  to  law,  doth 

depose  and  say  that  the  twenty-dollar  bill  now  in  con- 
troversy was  taken  out  of  a  pocket-book  and  eaten  by  a 
goat,  and  that  said  bill  was  taken  out  of  the  body  or 

guts  of  said  goat. 

(Sig.)        JOHN  O'BRIEN,  J.  P. 


Humorous  Clippings.  83 

While  we  did  not  send  the  affidavit  to  Washington, 
but  retained  it  as  a  specimen  legal  document,  we  prepared 
another  for  her,  forwarded  it  to  the  Treasury  Depart- 
ment at  Washington,  and  had  the  bill  redeemed. 

W.  G.,   Teller. 


RESPONSIBILITY  OF  "THE  OTHER  FELLOW." 

In  country  towns  are  always  found  an  impecunious 
few,  who,  by  the  regularity  with  which  their  notes  go  to 
protest,  seem  to  have  been  created  or  to  live  solely  for 
the  benefit  of  the  notary  public.  There  is  another  class, 
in  regard  to  the  object  of  whose  existence  there  is  no 
question,  who  are  known  as  the  two-per-cent.-a-month 
brokers.  Clearly,  these  live  for  themselves.  Not  long 
ago.  in  one  of  the  flourishing  cities  of  the  State,  a  member 
of  the  fourth  estate,  a  "  local "  editor,  who  had  done 
much  in  his  time  for  the  note-brokers  and  notaries  pub- 
lic, was  called  upon  by  one  of  the  former,  who  held  in 
his  hand  a  protested  note  of  the  editor,  which,  strange  to 
say,  was  well  indorsed.  Said  he,  "  Come,  I  want  you 
to  pay  this  note ;  what  are  you  going  to  do  about  it  ?" 

"Do  about  it?  Nothing.  Didn't  I  have 'trouble 
enough  about  that  note  on  the  go  in  ?  When  I  get  a 
good  indorser,  my  trouble  is  over ;  possibly  his  begins. 
Go  and  see  the  other  fellow  ;  don't  bother  me." 

The  broker  comprehended  the  scope  of  the  observa- 
tion, and  promenaded  for  the  other  party. 


84  The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 

THE   WISE  AND  FOOLISH  BURGLARS. 

[A  WORLD   FABLE.] 

Ten  Burglars,  five  of  whom  were  Wise  and  five  Fool- 
ish, having  taken  their  Dark  Lanterns,  went  forth  to  rob 
a  Bank.  The  Foolish  Burglars  toiled  assiduously  at  the 
Safe  with  Oxy-hydrogen  Blowpipes,  Gunpowder  and 
Drills,  and  had  just  opened  it  and  made  the  Discovery 
that  it  was  Empty  when,  at  midnight,  there  was  a  Cry, 
"  Behold,  the  Police  Cometh,"  and  they  were  made  pris- 
oners and  sent  up  for  Twenty  Years.  The  Wise  Bur- 
glars, however,  having  noticed  that  the  Respectable 
Cashier  of  the  Bank  had  recently  dyed  his  Hair  and 
given  much  thought  to  the  Advertisements  of  Transat- 
lantic Steamers,  broke  into  his  dwelling,  where  they  did 
not  fail  to  obtain  all  the  Funds  and  Negotiable  Se- 
curities of  the  Institution. 

Moral.— "  Wall  Street  Did  It  All." 


"CHATTEL   MORTGAGES." 

While  telling  in  one  of  the  Western  branches  of  the 
Exchange  Bank  of  Canada  some  three  or  four  years  ago, 
I  was  greatly  amused  at  the  following  : — One  afternoon 
an  old  farmer  entered  the  office  and  asked  if  he  could 
borrow  some  money.  I,  of  course,  referred  him  to  Mr. 
Cameron — our  manager — who  asked  him  if  he  could 
give  an  indorser.  The  farmer  said  he  wouldn't  ask  his 


Humorous   Clippings.  85 

father  to  indorse  his  note,  but,  if  we  liked,  he  would  give 
us  a  cattle  mortgage  on  some  good  steers  and  oxen  he 
had  at  home.  This  reply  caused  general  laughter  among 
the  clerks,  and  our  friend  left  the  office  in  no  very  good 
humor,  not  being  able  to  understand  why  the  manager 
should  refuse  to  advance  money  on  such  security  as  a 
first-class  "  Cattle  Mortgage."  H.  B.  H. 


EVERY  MAN  TO    HIS  TRADE. 

About  two  weeks  ago  a  couple  of  countrymen  entered 
our  office,  in  this  city,  and  presented  for  payment  a 
check  of  three  hundred  odd  dollars.  Being  in  a  hurry, 
I  gave  it  to  him  "pretty  lively"  in  fours.  One  of  the 
fellows,  standing  with  mouth  and  eyes  wide  open,  evi- 
dently took  considerable  interest  in  the  counting.  After 
I  had  finished,  he  asked  his  friend  if  he  thought  he  could 
do  it  as  fast  as  that  ?  "  No,"  said  he,  "  I'm  not  much  on 
the  count ;  but  I'll  bet  five  dollars  that  I  can  beat  him 
hollow  feeding  a  threshing-machine."  H.  B.  H. 

LONDON,  ONT. 


THE  PROCRASTINATING  BROKER. 

A  procrastinating  broker  met  a  rich  but  simple  cap- 
italist, who  was  going  down  to  Wall  street  with  a  bag  of 
gold.  "  To-morrow,"  he  said  to  himself,  "  I  will  unload 
some  Pacific  Mail  on  that  snoozer."  But,  lo !  when  the 


86  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 

morrow  came,  he  found  out  that  the  capitalist  had  gone 
short  on  Union  Pacific  the  night  before  and  lost  his 
pile  ! 

Moral. — Never  put  off  till  to-morrow  the  man  you 
can  do  to-day.—"  Out  of  the  World"  Fables. 


SMART  BOYS. 

It  is  one  of  the  peculiarities  of  the  child  of  Indiana, 
that  one  of  his  earliest  developments  is  a  genius  for 
finance.  At  Lafayette,  recently,  a  gentleman  who  teaches 
a  class  in  Sunday-school,  by  way  of  illustrating  a  cer- 
tain point,  took  from  his  pocket  a  new  silver  dollar,  and 
asked,  "  What  is  this?" 

A  little  fellow  responded,  "  Ninety-two  cents." 

This  was  not  exactly  apropos,  so  the  teacher  went  on: 

"  What  is  this  motto  on  it  ?" 

"  In  God  we  trust,"  responded  another  young  numis- 
matist. 

"  What  do  we  trust  him  for  ?"  continued  the  teacher. 

"For  the  other  eight  cents,"  replied  the  first  little 
financier,  and  that  ended  the  dialogue. 


ROTHSCHILD'S  RIDE. 

There  is  a  good  story  told  of  Baron  Rothschild,  of 
Paris,  the  richest  man  of  his  class  in  the  world,  which 


Humorous  Clippings.  87 

shows  that  it  is  not  only  "money  which  makes  the  mare 
go"  (or  horses  either,  for  that  matter),  but  "ready 
money,"  "  unlimited  credit "  to  the  contrary  notwith- 
standing. On  a  very  wet  and  disagreeable  day,  the  Baron 
took  a  Parisian  omnibus  on  his  way  to  the  Bourse,  or 
Exchange,  near  which  the  "  Nabob  of  Finance  "  alighted, 
and  was  going  away  without  paying.  The  driver 
stopped  him  and  demanded  his  fare.  Rothschild  felt 
in  his  pocket,  but  he  had  not  a  "  red  cent "  of  change. 
The  driver  was  very  wroth  : 

"  Well,  what  did  you  get  in  for,  if  you  could  not  pay  ? 
You  must  have  known  that  you  had  no  money  !" 

"  I  am  Baron  Rothschild  !"  exclaimed  the  great  cap- 
italist ;  "  and  there  is  my  card  !" 

The  driver  threw  the  card  in  the  gutter.  "  Never  heard 
of  you  before,"  said  he,  "  and  don't  want  to  hear  of  you 
again.  But  I  want  my  fare — and  I  must  have  it !" 

The  great  banker  was  in  haste.  "  I  have  only  an 
order  for  a  million,"  he  said.  "  Give  me  the  change  ;" 
and  he  proffered  a  "  coupon  "  for  fifty  thousand  francs. 

The  conductor  stared,  and  the  passengers  set  up  a 
horse-laugh.  Just  then  an  "  Agent  de  Change "  came 
by,  and  Baron  Rothschild  borrowed  of  him  the  six  sous. 

The  driver  was  now  seized  with  a  kind  of  remorseful 
respect ;  and  turning  to  the  money-king,  he  said  :  "  If 
you  want  ten  francs,  sir,  I  don't  mind  lending  them  to 
you  on  my  own  account." 


88  The  Bankers   Scrap  Book. 

A  KANSAS  INCIDENT. 

Once  upon  a  time,  we  called  on  a  man  who  owed  us 
$25,  for  payment,  and  hearing  that  he  had  money  in  a 
bank  in  a  neighboring  city,  we  asked  him  for  a  check  for 
the  amount  on  said  bank  ;  this  he  gave  us  willingly  (we 
filling  out  the  check,  he  signing  it).  The  check  went  to 
protest.  A  few  weeks  after  we  met  the  party,  who 
accosted  us  as  follows  :  "  Veil,  dot  money  vas  paid  all 
right.  I  got  mine  receipts  for  de  monish."  He  got  his 
notice  of  protest ! 


NOT  UPSET. 

At  the  time  when  Sir  John  Dean  Paul's  bank  stopped 
payment,  a  witty  lawyer  was  met  coming  out  of  it  by  a 
friend. 

"So  Sir  John  has  failed?"  said  the  friend. 

"Yes,"  replied  the  lawyer,  "and  I've  been  victimized." 

"  Really  !  "  continued  the  other ;  "  the  news  must  have 
quite  upset  you." 

"  Not  at  all ;  I  was  not  upset,  although  I  lost  my 
balance'1 


THE  MERCHANT  OF  VENICE. 

A  Venetian  merchant  who  was  lolling  in  the  lap  of 
luxury  was  accosted  upon  the  Rialto  by  a  friend  who 
had  not  seen  him  for  many  months.  "How  is  this?" 


Humorous  Clippings.  89 

cried  the  latter;  "when  I  last  saw  you  your  gaberdine 
was  out  at  elbows,  and  now  you  sail  in  your  own  gondola." 
"True,"  replied  the  merchant,  "but,  since  then  I  have 
met  with  serious  losses,  and  been  obliged  to  compound 
with  my  creditors  for  ten  cents  on  the  dollar." 
Moral. — Composition  is  the  life  of  trade. 

"Out  of  the  World"  Fables. 


This,— from  Red  Oak,  Iowa. 

HE  HAD  HIS  RECEIPT. 

A  "granger"  who  wanted  to  send  forty  dollars  to  an 
eastern  loan  company  to  pay  his  interest  coupon,  pur- 
chased a  draft  for  that  purpose  of  us  the  ist  of  June 
last,  and  when  the  next  coupon  had  matured  and  the  first 
one  had  not  been  received,  he  wanted  us  to  write  and 
find  out  the  reason.  We  did  so,  and  when  he  came  in 
to-day  to  find  out  the  cause  of  delay  and  we  told  him 
that  they  had  never  received  the  money  and  were  just  on 
the  point  of  foreclosing  the  mortgage,  you  could  have 
hung  your  hat  on  his  eyes.  "  Why,  I  have  your  receipt 
for  the  money,"  said  he  ;  and  going  down  in  his  "jeans," 
he  produced  an  old  leather  pocket-book,  and  unrolling 
it  in  a  manner  that  would  have  made  Solon  Shingle 
blush,  he  produced  our  draft  on  Chicago  issued  six 
months  ago.  I  told  the  innocent  that  that  was  the  money, 
and  he  should  have  sent  that  in  his  letter.  Then  there 
stole  over  his  countenance  a  sad  and  sorrowful  smile 


90  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 

that  smole  itself  away  into  a  look  of  unutterable  orphan- 
age and  hopeless  despair. 

The  above  is  fresh — just  happened  to-day.     Not  new, 
— they  often  do  this. 


ANOTHER,   FROM  THE   SAME. 

It  is  said  of  Joe  Jefferson  that  he  went  into  a  bank  in 
St.  Louis  one  day  to  get  a  check  cashed,  and  when  the 
teller  said,  "You  must  be  identified,  I  do  not  know  you," 
the  great  impersonator  of  "  Rip  "  turned  towards  the  door 
and  said,  sadly  :  "  If  my  leedle  dog  Schneider  vas  heere 
he  vood  know  me."  The  teller  called  him  back  and 
handed  out  the  money,  with  the  remark  that  no  one  but 
Joe  Jefferson  could  say  it  like  that. 

But  the  First  National  Bank  of  Red  Oak,  Iowa,  had  a 
case  of  "  dorg  "  last  summer  that  was  equal  to  the  above. 
They  received  by  mail  a  postal-card,  which  read  as  fol- 
lows : 

BANKING  HOUSE  OF  BROOKS  &  MOORE, 

Reinbeck,  Iowa,  March  6,  1878. 
CASHIER  IST  NAT.  BK., 

Dear  Sir : — Mr.  A.  Moyer  goes  from  here  to  your 
part  of  the  State  by  wagon,  and  carries  our  drafts,  Nos. 

1659  for  $708.00. 

1660  for  $709.00    $1417.00 

which  please  cash  for  him  if  desired.  Mr.  M.  is  a  short, 
middle-aged  man,  and  will  be  accompanied  by  a  yellow 
bull-dog.  Respectfully, 

L.   T.   MOORE,  Cashier. 


Humorous  Clippings.  91 

In  due  time  a  little  stub  and  twist  man  stepped  into 
the  door  of  the  ist  National  at  Red  Oak,  and  then,  as  if 
he  had  suddenly  thought  of  something  left  outside, 
stepped  out  again,  and  shouted,  "  Here  !  Come  here  !" 
When  he  reappeared  he  was  accompanied  by  the  unmis- 
takable bull-dog,  "  with  his  ears  cut  short  and  his  tail  cut 
long,"  and  built  after  the  model  of  his  master,  and  when 
he  got  his  eye  on  the  cashier,  it  is  needless  to  say  Mr. 
Moyer  got  his  money. 


CASHIER    AND  RUNNER. 

One  of  the  wits  of  Munster  bar  was  Ned  Lysaght, 
who  startled  a  Dublin  banker,  one  day,  as  he  was  walk- 
ing home  from  the  bank,  by  asking  him  for  employment 
in  the  bank. 

"  You,  my  dear  Lysaght  !"  exclaimed  the  banker, 
"  what  situation  in  my  concern  would  suit  you  ?" 

"  I  could  manage  two  if  you'd  let  me." 

"  Tell  me  what  they  are,"  said  the  astonished  banker. 

"If  you  let  me  act  as  your  cashier  for  one  day,  I'll 
turn  runner  the  next,"  replied  the  wag. 


A  "COOKE"  ITEM. 

Not  a  thousand  years  ago,  at  a  party  given  by  one  of 
our  great  bankers,  who  had  made  his  millions  on  gov- 
ernment securities — five-twenties  and  the  like — a  lady 


92  The  Bankers    Scrap-Book. 

wit  pointed  out  to  her  companion,  also  a  banker,  the 
wife  of  the  host,  remarking,  "  What  a  splendid  creature  ! 
She  ought  to  be  a  Countess!"  "Oh.  yes;  beautiful 
enough  and  clever  enough  ;  but  perhaps  she  prefers  to 
be  a  Discountess  /" 


AN    IRISH    BULL. 

"  If  I  place  my  money  in  the  savings  bank,"  inquired 
a  newly-arrived,  "  when  can  I  draw  it  out  again  ?" 

"  Oh,"  responded  his  Hibernian  friend,  "  sure,  an'  if 
you  put  it  in  to-day,  you  can  get  it  out  again  to-morrow, 
by  giving  a  fortnight's  notice." 


INTERESTING  LAW. 

The  following  is  a  literal  copy  of  an  Act  of  the 
Hawkey e  State  Legislature  of  1858  : 

"  The  first  day  of  the  week,  commonly  called  Sunday, 
the  first  day  of  January,  the  fourth  day  of  July,  the 
twenty-fifth  of  December,  and  any  day  appointed  or 
recommended  by  the  Governor  of  this  State,  or  the  Pres- 
ident of  the  United  States,  as  a  day  of  fast  or  thanksgiv- 
ing, shall,  for  all  purposes  whatsoever,  as  regards  the 
presenting  for  payment  or  acceptance,  and  of  the  protest- 
ing and  giving  notice  of  the  dishonor  of  bills  of  ex- 
change, bank  checks  and  promissory  notes,  be  treated 
and  considered  as  falling  due  on  the  succeeding  day" 


Humorous  Clippings,  93 


OVERMUCH    PRECAUTION. 

A  wealthy  banker,  preparing  to  visit  the  Paris  Expo- 
sition by  ocean  steamer,  prudently  purchased  a  costly 
safe  to  put  in  his  state-room,  for  protection  of  his  valu- 
ables in  case  the  vessel  was  destroyed  by  fire. 


A  second-hand  bookseller  once  posted  the  following 
announcement : 

"  For  sale  here — 

Mill  on  Political  Economy, 
do.    on  the  Floss." 


A    FINANCIAL   PUZZLE. 

This,  now,  is  straightforward  and  business-like  :  A. 
applied  to  B.  for  a  loan  of  $100.  B.  replied,  "  My  dear 
A.,  nothing  would  please  me  more  than  to  oblige  you, 
and  I'll  do  it.  I  haven't  $100  by  me,  but  make  a  note 
and  I'll  indorse  it,  and  you  can  get  the  money  from  the 
bank."  A.  proceeded  to  write  the  note.  "  Stay,"  said  B., 
"make  it  $200.  I  want  $100  myself."  A.  did  so,  B. 
indorsed  the  paper,  the  bank  discounted  it,  and  the 
money  was  divided.  When  the  note  became  due,  B.  was 
in  California,  and  A.  had  to  meet  the  payment.  What 
he  is  unable  to  cipher  out  is  whether  he  borrowed  $100 
of  B.,  or  B.  borrowed  $100  of  him. 


94  The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 


JUDICIAL  RESOLUTIONS. 

During  the  discussion  of  a  bill  for  the  funding  of  a 
certain  State  debt,  a  luminous  member  from  the  rural 
districts  tied  up  all  debate  in  the  Legislature  by  sub- 
mitting this  mixture: 

Resolved,  That  it  is  imperative  that  the  old  bonds  of 
indebtedness  be  taken  up. 

Resolved,  That  in  order  to  take  up  the  aforesaid  old 
bonds,  new  bonds  be  issued. 

Resolved,  That  the  new  bonds  do  not  be  issued  until 
the  old  bonds  are  surrendered. 


A  New  York  paper,  speaking  of  a  Russian  loan  of 
thirty  thousand  roubles,  very  quietly  said  by  its  types, 
that  "  the  Russian  government  had  advertised  for  a  loan 
of  thirty  thousand  troubles" 


HAD  TO  PAY  "ALLE  SAME." 

A  friend  at  Los  Angeles,  California,  sends  us  an 
account  of  a  lawsuit  in  the  local  court  of  that  place, 
brought  by  a  Chinaman  to  recover  $125.  The  note  on 
which  the  suit  was  brought  was  of  itself  a  wonder.  It 
was  written  in  Chinese  characters,  and  fills  five  columns, 
reading  from  right  to  left.  The  translation  is  as  follows, 


Humorous  Clippings.  95 

the  reader  bearing  in  mind  that  in  China  "he"  stands  for 
both  sexes : 

This  woman,  Sim  Yip,  he  wantee  catchee  one  hundred 
twenty-five  dollars,  gold  coin.  He  say,  sposum  Yo  King 
let  um  hap  one  hundred  twenty-five  dollars,  gold  coin, 
Sim  Yip  he  pay  um  back  in  six  months,  with  two  per 
cent,  interest.  Fung  Chong,  he  say,  sposum  Sim  Yip  no 
pay  him  money,  he,  Fung  Chong,  payee  him  alle  same. 

As  Mrs.  Yip  failed  to  pay,  Yo  Hing  sued  Fung  Chong, 
a  Chinese  doctor,  on  this  guarantee,  and  when  the 
plaintiff's  counsel  asked  him  about  the  note,  he  answered  : 

"Yo  Hing  one  big  rascal.  He  foolee  you  big  heap 
muchee.  Me  showee  in  court  how  he  foolee  you." 

But  he  did  not,  and  to  his  infinite  disgust  the  court 
gave  judgment  against  him.  Mr.  Hing  got  his  cash 
"allee  same." 


BURNING  A  BANKER'S  NOTES. 

During  one  of  the  rebellions  in  Ireland,  the  rebels, 
who  had  conceived  a  high  degree  of  indignation  against 
a  certain  great  banker,  passed  a  resolution  that  they 
would  at  once  burn  his  notes,  which  they  held ;  this  they 
accordingly  did,  forgetting  that,  in  burning  his  notes, 
they  were  destroying  his  debts,  and  that  for  every  note 
which  went  into  the  flames,  a  corresponding  value  went 
into  the  banker's  pocket  and  out  of  their  own.  This  is 
what  may  be  termed  a  genuine  financial  Hibernianism  ! 


96  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 


BANKS   FAILING. 

"  Are  you  afraid  of  the  banks  failing  ?"  asked  a  Boston 
cashier,  as  Mrs.  Partington  went  to  draw  her  pension. 
"  Banks  failing  !"  said  the  dame  ;  "  I  never  had  any  idea 
about  it  at  all.  If  he  gets  votes  enough  I  don't  see  how 
he  can  fail,  and  if  he  don't,  I  can't  see  how  he  is  to  help 
it."  "I  mean,"  said  he,  "the  banks  that  furnish  paper 
for  the  currency."  She  stood  a  moment  counting  her 
bills.  "  Oh,  you  did,  did  you  ?"  said  she  ;  "  well,  it's  about 
the  same  thing.  If  they  have  money  enough  to  redeem 
with — and  heaven  knows  there's  need  enough  for  're- 
demption '  for  a  good  many  of  them,-  and  more  'grace  ' 
than  they  allow  their  customers — they  may  stand  it  ;  but 
doubtful  things  are  uncertain." 

She  passed  off  like  an  exhalation,  and  the  cashier 
counted  out  $115.17  fifteen  times  while  pondering  what 
she  said,  in  order  to  catch  her  meaning. 


LARGE    BONDS. 

The  young  gentleman  who  officiates  as  countist  in 
one  of  the  Ithaca  banks,  mentions  a  little  incident  that 
occurred  there  in  1864,  when  the  farmers  were  investing 
liberally  in  seven-thirty  notes. 

One  day  a  lank  countryman  entered  the  bank,  and 
leaning  over  the  counter  until  his  face  almost  touched 
mine,  said,  in  a  drawling  tone  :  "  Have  you  got  any  of 


Humorous  Clippings.  97 

them  seven  by  nine  bonds?  If  you  have,  I  want  some." 
Taking  out  his  "pus  "and  counting  the  required  sum, 
he  obtained  his  governments  and  evaded  the  premises. 


THE   WIDOW'S   PROTEST. 

One  of  the  saddest  things  that  ever  came  under  my 
notice  (said  the  banker's  clerk)  was  there  in  Corning, 
during  the  war.  Dan  Murphy  enlisted  as  a  private,  and 
fought  very  bravely.  The  boys  all  liked  him,  and  when 
a  wound  by  and  by  weakened  him  down,  till  carrying  a 
musket  was  too  heavy  work  for  him,  they  clubbed  to- 
gether and  fixed  him  up  as  a  sutler.  He  made  money 
then,  and  sent  it  always  to  his  wife  to  bank  for  him.  She 
was  a  washer  and  ironer,  and  knew  enough  by  hard  ex- 
perience to  keep  money  when  she  got  it.  She  didn't 
waste  a  penny.  On  the  contrary,  she  began  to  get  mi- 
serly as  her  bank  account  grew.  She  grieved  to  part 
with  a  cent,  poor  creature,  for  twice  in  her  hard-working 
life  she  had  known  what  it  was  to  be  hungry,  cold,  friend- 
less, sick,  and  without  a  dollar  in  the  world,  and  she  had 
a  haunting  dread  of  suffering  so  again.  Well,  at  last 
Dan  died  ;  and  the  boys,  in  testimony  of  their  esteem 
and  respect  for  him,  telegraphed  to  Mrs.  Murphy  to 
know  if  she  would  like  to  have  him  embalmed  and  sent 
home  ;  when  you  know  the  usual  custom  was  to  dump  a 
poor  devil  like  him  into  a  shallow  hole,  and  then  inform 
his  friends  what  had  become  of  him.  Mrs.  Murphy 


98  The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 

jumped  to  the  conclusion  that  it  would  only  cost  two  or 
three  dollars  to  embalm  her  dead  husband,  and  so  she 
telegraphed  "  Yes."  It  was  at  the  "wake"  that  the  bill 
for  embalming  arrived  and  was  presented  to  the  widow. 

She  uttered  a  wild,  sad  wail  that  pierced  ever)'  heart, 
and  said,  "  Sivinty-foive  dollars  for  stooffin'  Dan,  blister 
their  sowls  !  Did  thim  divils  suppose  I  was  goin'  to 
stairt  a  Museim,  that  I'd  be  dalin'  in  such  expinsive 
curiassities  ?" 

The  banker's  clerk  said  there  was  not  a  dry  eye  in  the 
house. 

— Mark  Twain's  Sketches. 


DISGUSTED    WITH    BANKS. 

Since  the  failure  of  the  late  Freedman's  Savings 
Bank,  our  bank  has  been  the  agent  of  many  depositors 
in  that  concern  for  the  collection  of  their  dividends  from 
Washington.  The  charge  for  collecting  is  fifteen  cents  or 
more,  according  to  amount  due  the  customer.  The  first 
dividend  of  twenty  per  cent,  had  been  nearly  all  paid, 
when  there  came  to  our  window  one  day  the  anxious  face 
of  a  man  who  had  just  heard  "  dey  was  issuin'  out  on 
de  ole  firm,"  and  who  eagerly  presented  his  pass-book. 

We  explained  the  terms  of  collection  as  above,  to 
which  he  agreed  ;  but  on  examination  of  his  book  he 
appeared  to  have  but  fifty  cents  due  him,  and  so  we  ad- 
vised him  not  to  put  in  his  claim,  as  the  amount  received 
would  be  less  than  the  cost  pf  getting  it.  "  An'  is  I  got 


Humorous  Clippings.  99 

to  lose  my  hard-earned  money,  boss  ?"  he  said,  patheti- 
cally. "  No,  we  can  collect  it  for  you  for  fifteen  cents  ;  but 
you'll  only  get  ten  cents  at  this  payment,  and  so  you'll 
be  five  cents  out.  Hadn't  you  better  let  it  be  as  it  is  ?" 
This  puzzled  him.  "  I  pays  you  fifteen  cents,  an'  gits  only 
ten  ?  Whah's  my  money  comin'  from  den  ?"  The  case 
was  a  hopeless  one,  and  we  could  only  advise  him  to  call 
in  person  at  the  Washington  office  of  the  commissioners, 
as  the  sole  way  to  receive  his  money  without  expense. 
He  departed  muttering,  "  Dat's  why  I  'spise  a  bank  !  I'll 
never  put  any  mo'  money  into  no  bank,  if  all  de  bank 
men  starves  'emselves  to  deff  !"  From  the  general  tight- 
ness of  the  market,  it  is  presumed  he  is  sticking  to  his 
resolution. 


FINAL  ARGUMENT  AT  A  BANK    COUNTER. 

On  receipt  of  the  news  of  the  banks  suspending  specie 
payment,  Mrs.  Jones  hastened  to  her  savings  bank, 
elbowed  her  way  smartly  to  the  desk,  presented  her  book, 
and  demanded  her  money. 

"Madam,"  said  the  clerk,  persuasively,  "are  you  sure 
you  want  to  draw  this  money  out  in  specie  ? " 

"  Mrs.  Jones,"  said  a  director,  with  an  oracular  frown, 
"do  you  know  that  you  are  injuring  your  fellow-de- 
positors?" 

"And  setting  an  example  of  great  folly  to  less- 
educated  persons  in  this  community?"  struck  in  another 
director. 


ioo  The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 

"  Let  us  advise  you  simply  to  reflect,"  interposed  the 
clerk,  blandly. 

"  To  wait  for  a  day  or  two,  at  least,"  said  the  director. 

At  last  there  was  a  pause. 

Mrs.  Jones  had  been  collecting  herself.  She  burst 
now.  In  a  tone  which  was  heard  throughout  the 
building,  and  above  all  the  din,  and  at  which  her  inter- 
locutors turned  ashy  pale,  she  said  : 

"  Will  you  pay  me  my  money — -yes  or  no?" 

They  paid  her  instantly. 


BALL-ROOM  TIME-TABLE. 

A  witty  lady,  writing  of  the  grand  ball  once  given 
in  Philadelphia  by  Mr.  Jay  Cooke,  the  great  banker 
and  Government-bond  broker,  says:  "The  company 
commenced  to  arrive  at  5.20;  dancing  began  at  7.30; 
supper  was  served  at  10.40  !  " 


GERMAN    FINANCIAL    OPERATION. 

There  were  once  two  well-known  settlers  in  the 
western  part  of  York  County,  Pa.,  both  of  honest  old 
German  stock,  and  belonging  to  those  good  old  times 
when  everybody  was  "as  honest  as  the  days  are  long." 
Peter,  it  appears,  had  increased  the  size  of  his  farm  by 
annexing  thereto  a  small  tract  adjoining,  and  lacked 
about  one  hundred  dollars  of  the  sum  necessary  to  pay 


Humorous  Clippings.  101 

for  the  new  acquisition.  He  called  upon  his  neighbor, 
George,  to  borrow  the  amount. 

George  brought  out  an  old  bread-basket,  and  counted 
down  the  desired  number  of  "thalers,"  and  then,  of 
course,  the  two  sat  down  to  two  large  earthen  mugs  of 
cider,  and  so  many  pipes  of  tobacco. 

After  smoking  over  the  matter  for  a  while,  it  occurred 
to  Peter  that  in  similar  transactions  he  had  heard  or 
seen  something  like  a  "note"  passing  between  the  bor- 
rower and  the  lender,  and  he  suggested  as  much  to 
George. 

The  lender  assented  to  the  reasonableness  of  the 
thing  ;  paper,  pen  and  ink  were  produced — and  between 
the  two  a  document  was  concocted,  stating  that  George 
had  loaned  Peter  one  hundred  dollars,  which  Peter 
would  repay  to  George  in  "  dree  monts." 

This  Peter  signed,  and  thus  far  our  two  financiers 
had  made  the  thing  all  regular  and  ship-shape. 

But  at  this  point  a  difficulty  presented  itself.  They 
both  knew  that  notes  were  made  in  the  operations  of 
borrowing  and  lending,  which  they  had  sometimes  wit- 
nessed ;  but  it  now  appeared  that  neither  had  observed 
what  disposition  was  made  of  the  document,  nor  could 
tell  whether  it  was  en  regie  for  the  borrower  or  lender  to 
take  charge  of  the  paper, — and  here  was  a  dilemma  ! 
At  length  a  bright  idea  struck  George. 

''  You  has  de  money  to  pay,  Peter  ;  so  be  sure  you 
must  take  dis  paper  so  you  can  see  as  you  has  to  pay  it." 

This  was  conclusive  ;  the  common  sense  of  the  thing 
was  obvious  and  unanswerable,  and  Peter  pocketed  the 


IO2  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 

money  and  his  note,  "  so  as  he  would  see  as  he  had  to 
pay  it." 

The  three  months  passed  over,  and  punctually  to  the 
day  appeared  our  friend  Peter,  and  paid  over  the  prom- 
ised sum  to  George.  This  being  done,  the  mugs  and 
pipes  were  again  paraded.  After  puffing  awhile,  Peter 
produced  the  note,  and  handed  it  to  George,  with  the 
remark  ; 

"  Now  you  must  take  de  note,  so  as  you  can  see  dat 
de  money  has  been  paid." 


FEMALE    FINANCIERING. 

One  of  our  wealthy  customers  having  occasion  to 
leave  town  for  a  few  days,  left  a  dozen  checks  signed  in 
blank  for  use  of  his  better  half,  who  proceeded,  of 
course,  to  overdraw  his  account.  On  his  return  he 
remonstrated,  but  to  no  purpose  ;  for  the  fair  but  unso- 
phisticated Dulcinea  insisted  that  it  couldn't  possibly  be, 
as  there  were  three  of  the  checks  left  nowf  which  hadn't 
been  used  at  all  !  John  is  discouraged. 


A  TELLER  WHO  KNEW  HIS  BUSINESS. 

An  incident  occurred  the  other  day  in  an  institution 
not  a  thousand  miles  from  Lindsay,  Ontario,  which  is 
thus  related  by  the  Post  of  that  town.  The  inspector 
from  the  parent  bank  was  paying  his  usual  visit,  and 


Humorous   Clippings.  103 

had  among  other  things  counted  the  teller's  cash,  which 
was  found  "O.  K."  On  returning  the  cash  to  the  teller, 
the  latter  at  once  carefully  counted  it.  The  inspector,  a 
little  surprised,  asked  the  cause  of  this  needless  cere- 
mony, whereupon  the  teller  replied  that  he  "  never 
allowed  any  man  to  handle  his  cash  without  counting  it 
after  him."  The  result  of  this  cool  reply  and  business 
method  was  a  prompt  and  handsome  increase  in  the 
teller's  salary. 


WHICH    MAIDEN  NAME? 

The  regulations  of  this  savings  bank  require,  that 
depositors  furnish  certain  items  of  information  concern- 
ing themselves,  to  be  recorded  for  the  purpose  of  identi- 
fying the  depositors,  when  occasion  requires ;  among 
which  items  is  required  the  mother's  maiden  name  of  the 
depositor. 

One  young  woman,  on  opening  a  deposit  account, 
and  being  asked  what  was  her  mother's  maiden  name, 
said,  "  Which  one  ?  for  she  had  been  married  twice." 
"  Mariners'  Savings  Sank,  New  London,  Ct." 


PAR. 

One  often  hears  quoted  certain  expressions  illustra- 
tive of  "the  ruling  passion  strong  in  death  ;"  but  we 
have  Leard  of  none  better  than  that  of  a  venerable 


IO4  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 

woman,  the  grandmother  of  a  banker,  who  had  reached 
the  age  of  ninety-nine  years  and  eight  months. 

Feeling  very  weak  one  morning  she  sent  for  the 
doctor,  and  in  the  course  of  the  interview,  asked  him  if 
he  thought  she  would  attain  the  age  of  one  hundred. 

"  Well,  Madam,  you  may  depend  upon  my  doing 
my  best,"  he  replied.  "  Oh,  do  !"  said  the  old  lady,  "  I 
should  so  much  like  to  touch  lpar? '-' 


SCOTCH    SIMPLICITY. 

Here's  an  amusing  incident  of  Scotch  simplicity. 
An  old  "  wifie,"  having  heard  whispers  that  the 
Caledonian  was  shaky,  thought  she  would  be  on  the  safe 
side,  went  to  the  bank  and  presented  her  check  for  the 
balance.  The  cashier  checked  it  in  Caledonian  bank- 
notes, which  the  canny  old  lady  pocketed,  and  walking 
across  to  the  National  Bank  asked  them  to  exchange 
these  for  their  own  notes,  which,  having  obtained,  she 
went  bank  again  to  her  own  bank,  and  handing  them 
over  to  the  teller,  said  : — "  There,  that's  the  '  richt ' 
paper.  Will  ye  just  take  care  of  them  for  me  ?"  Two 
days  after  the  Caledonian  suspended  payment. 


HOW  THEY  FIXED  IT. 

A  New  Yorker,  while  journeying  the  other  day,  was 
recognized  by  another  citizen  doing  business  near  the 


Humorous  Clippings.  105 

Bowery,  he  being  also  away  from  home  on  business, 
and  after  a  little  preliminary  conversation  the  first 
remarked  : 

"  Well,  I  hear  that  you  had  to  make  an  assignment." 

"  Yes,  dat  is  drew,"  replied  the  other. 

"  And  your  brother  over  on  Chatham  street  ;  he 
assigned,  too,  didn't  he  ?" 

"  You  zee  it  was  just  like  dis,"  said  the  Bowery  man  ; 
"  I  was  owing  a  goot  deal.  I  makes  over  my  stock  to 
Jacob  and  Jacob  makes  over  his  stock  over  to  me,  and 
I  do  his  peesness  and  he  doesxmy  peesness,  and  dem 
vellers  vhat  was  after  money  doan  get  some  !" 


THE    GRASSHOPPER  AND  THE  ANT. 

A  frivolous  Grasshopper,  having  spent  the  summer 
in  Mirth  and  Revelry,  went  on  the  Approach  of  the 
inclement  Winter  to  the  Ant,  and  implored  it  of  its 
charity  to  stake  him.  "You  had  better  go  to  your 
Uncle,"  replied  the  prudent  Ant ;  "had  you  imitated  my 
Forethought  and  deposited  your  Funds  in  a  Savings 
Bank,  you  would  not  now  be  compelled  to  regard  your 
Duster  in  the  light  of  an  Ulster."  Thus  saying,  the 
virtuous  Ant  retired,  and  read  in  the  Paper  next  morn- 
ing that  the  Savings  Bank  where  he  had  deposited  his 
Funds  had  suspended. 

Moral. — Dum  Vivimus  Vivamus. 

— "  Out  of  the  World  "  Fables. 
5* 


io6 


The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 


DOCTOR  G.  JONES. 

The  writer  was  once  employed  as  cashier  by  a  gentle- 
man whom  we  will  call  George  Jones,  whose  knowledge 
of  book-keeping  was  extremely  limited.  The  cashier's 
custom  was  to  keep  his  payments  and  receipts  of  cash  on 
slips  of  paper,  which  were  stuck  on  a  spindle  until  the 
close  of  business,  when  they  were  transferred  to  the 
cash-book.  One  day  the  proprietor  came  in  and  asked 
for  fifty  dollars  for  personal  use,  which  was  handed  him, 
the  cashier  making  out  a  slip,  viz.  :  Dr.  Geo.  Jones,  $50, 
and  impaling  it  on  the  spindle.  On  turning  to  resume 
his  work  on  the  books  he  was  very  much  surprised  and 
considerably  amused  on  hearing  his  employer  inquire,  in 


Humorous  Clippings.  107 

a  severe  tone:    "Mr.  D ,  what  do  you  mean,  sir,  by 

writing  me  down  as  Doctor  George  Jones  ? " 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  a  satisfactory  explanation 
was  made  on  the  spot. 


VERY  HOPEFUL   INVESTMENT. 

The  wit  who  put  this  leaf  into  Harper's  "Drawer" 
deserves  a  pension,  and  a  good  long  life  to  enjoy  it : 

" Can  you  give  me  specie  for  this?" 

"No!" 

"  What  can  you  give  me  ? " 

"  Nothing." 

"Nothing?     Why?" 

"  You  are  making  a  '  run '  upon  our  institution — a  run, 
sir.  This  species  of  presentation  we  are  bound  to  resist. 
You  are  trying  to  break  us,  sir — to  make  us  stop  payment, 
sir.  But  you  can't  do  it,  sir." 

"  But  haven't  you  stopped  payment  when  you  refuse 
to  redeem  ? " 

"  No,  sir.  Ours  is  a  stock  institution.  Your  ultimate 
security,  sir,  is  deposited  with  the  auditor.  We  cant 
break,  sir — we  can't  stop  payment." 

"  But  have  you  no  specie  on  hand?" 

"  Yes,  sir  ;  and  we  are  bound  to  KEEP  it  on  hand  ;  the 
law  obliges  us  to  keep  twelve  and  one-half  of  specie  on 
hand.  If  we  paid  it  out  every  time  one  of  you  fellows 
calls,  how,  sir,  could  we  '  keep  it  on  hand,'  according  to 
law?  We  should  be  in  a  pretty  box." 


io8  The  Bankers    Scrap-Book. 

"Then  I  shall  proceed  to  have  the  note  protested." 
"  Very  well,  sir,  you  will  find  a  notary  public  at  — 


provided  he  is  at  home.  He  lives  about  one  hundred 
and  forty  miles  from  here.  But  you'd  better  go  home, 
sir,  and  rely  upon  your  ultimate  security.  We  can't  pay 
specie,  find  it  won't  do — but  you  are  ultimately  secure." 

The  "ultimate  security"  is  disregarded,  the  note  is 
protested,  "  without  regard  to  expense"  and  the  notary 
directed  to  prosecute  the  "  Squash  Bank  at  Lost  Prairie," 
to  collection,  as  soon  as  possible.  "  How  long,  by  the 
way,"  asks  the  holder,  "will  it  be  before  I  can  expect  to 
realize  upon  the  ultimate  security  of  the  institution  ? 
Thirty  days,  is  it  not  ?" 

"Not  quite  so  soon  as  that,  sir.  I  shall  forthwith 
give  notice  to  the  officers  of  the  Squash  Bank.  If  they 
pay  no  attention  to  it,  I  shall  offer  its  securities  in  my 
hands  for  sale  ;  but  in  discharging  my  necessary  duty 
to  all  the  creditors  of  the  institution,  I  shall  not  proceed 
to  offer  any  of  its  assets  in  this  market  until  after  at 
least  ninety  days'  notice  in  New  York,  London  and 
Paris,  so  as  to  insure  the  largest  and  best  prices  for  the 
securities — and  not  even  then,  if,  in  my  opinion,  the 
ultimate  interests  of  all  concerned  will  be  promoted  by 
a  further  extension  !  Hem  !" 

"  But,  my  dear  sir,  how  long  will  it  be  before  I  shall 
be  able  to  actually  realize  upon  my  demand?" 

To  this  pregnant  question  the  notary  replies  that  "  he 
couldn't  say,  indeed  ;  it  depends  something  on  the  fate 
of  the  war  in  Europe — even  now  more  doubtful  than 
ever.  Still,  you  can  rely  upon  your  ultimate  security." 


Humorous  Clippings.  log 

"  ULTIMATE  SECURITY — but  I — I  want  my  money  /" 
"  Oh,  ay,  ah  !  that's  a  different  thing  !" 
This   was  what  might  be  termed  a  very  "  hopeful " 
investment 


HOOSIER  ENGLISH. 

A  few  years  ago,  two  very  respectable  gentlemen 
commenced  business  as  bankers,  in  one  of  the  thriving 
villages  of  Illinois.  It  is  quite  common  for  business- 
men to  have  a  little  card  printed  on  one  corner  of  their 
envelopes,  and  these  bankers,  conforming  to  usage, 
printed  theirs,  giving  their  name  and  residence,  and 
underneath,  in  smaller  type,  the  following  extraordinary 
announcement  : 

"  Collections  promptly  attended  to,  and  remitted  on 
day  of  jttdgment" 

It  took  them  several  months  to  learn  why  their  col- 
lecting business  did  not  prosper. 


BANKS   OF   EASE. 

About  the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  the  old 
Bank  of  Albany,  since  defunct,  then  presided  over  by 
thirteen  distinguished  representatives  of  Father-land, 
issued  its  first  circulating  notes.  Immediately  after 
their  receipt  from  the  printer,  an  application  for  a  loan 
of  a  few  thousand  dollars  was  made  to  the  bank  by  a 
drawee,  well  known  in  Albany  for  his  ability  and 
financial  soundness. 


no  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 

The  loan  was  "  passed  "  by  the  board,  and  the  cashier 
ordered  to  pay  the  money,  who,  like  a  faithful  officer, 
bethought  himself  as  to  what  kind  of  money  he  would 
pay — whether  their  own  new  currency  or  gold.  The 
currency  was  new ;  so  he  reconvened  the  directors  at 
once,  and  laid  the  subject  before  them. 

Chairs  were  drawn  to  the  great  fire-place,  thirteen 
clay  pipes  were  lighted,  and  discussion  ensued  upon  the 
proposition  to  pay  out  the  new  currency.  No  satisfac- 
tory conclusion  was  likely  to  be  arrived  at,  until  the 
following  speech  was  made  by  one  of  the  number  : 

"  Gentlemen  of  the  board,  these  bills  of  ours,  re- 
ceived to-day,  have  cost  this  bank  a  large  sum  of  money. 
The  engraver,  the  printer,  the  paper-maker,  and  incident- 
als, all  have  to  be  paid.  The  thought  of  these  expenses, 
so  justly  incurred,  does  not  stagger  me  in  the  least,  for 
the  bills  are  very  fine,  and  an  ornament  to  the  bank. 
But,  gentlemen,  when  it  is  proposed  to  send  these  new 
bills  into  the  far  West,  there  to  be  traded  for  cattle, 
torn,  soiled,  and  perhaps  utterly  destroyed,  I,  for  one, 
most  solemnly  protest.  I  venture  this  moment,  gentle- 
men, to  assert  the  opinion,  that  should  you  be  so  unwise 
as  to  allow  these  new  bills  to  be  sent  North  and  West, 
beyond  Lansingburg,  Schenectady,  and  away  the  other 
side  of  Utica  (as  I  understand  this  man  proposes  to  take 
some  of  them),  you  will  never  see  them  again  so  long  as 
the  Bank  of  Albany  has  an  existence  or  a  name  !" 

The  motion  was  lost,  and  the  gold  was  duly  paid. 
Surely  this  bank  might  well  be  termed  a  Bank  of  Ease. 


Humorous  Clippings.  in 


"OLD  VINTER'S"  BANK  BILLS. 

Away  Down  East — that  convenient  but  much  abused 
locality  for  pointing  a  story — a  wealthy  old  merchant, 
who  was  especially  fond  of  a  glass  of  good  brandy,  had 
established  a  bank,  and,  liking  his  own  face  better  than 
any  one's  else,  showed  his  frankness  by  placing  it  on 
both  ends  of  his  bank  bills.  One  evening  a  bill  of  this 
description  was  offered  at  the  village  hotel,  and  was 
thought  to  be  a  counterfeit.  "Put  a  glass  of  brandy  to 
the  picture,"  proposed  a  wag,  "and  if  his  mouth  opens, 
you  may  be  sure  it  is  one  of  old  Vinter's." 


BUSINESS  AND  BEAUTY. 

The  deficiency  in  the  practical  part  of  female  education 
is  a  fact  which  has  been  often,  but  never  too  much,  de- 
plored. The  following  notes  of  an  examination  insti- 
tuted by  a  mercantile  gentleman  in  search  of  a  wife, 
into  a  young  lady's  knowledge  of  business,  is  testimony 
complete  on  this  point. 

Young  lady,  examined  :  Has  heard  of  the  monetary 
question  ;  should  think  it  was  a  warning.  Knew  what 
stocks  were  ;  regards  them  as  the  "highest  necessity"  in 
a  gentleman's  dress.  A  dividend  was  a  sum  in  long 
division.  A  bonus  was  a  sort  of  a  pill.  Scrip  was  a 
little  bag — something  like  a  reticule.  Exchange  was  no 
robbery.  Had  read  about  consols — they  were  ancient 


112  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 

Romans  ;  Julius  Caesar  was  one,  so  was  Pompey.  Sup- 
posed by  three  per  cents  must  mean  the  Triumvirate. 
A  bull  was  a  horned  animal,  or  an  Irish  mistake.  A 
bear  was  a  cross,  disagreeable  person,  like  some  people 
she  could  name.  An  exchequer  bill  was  an  instrument 
with  a  hook.  The  bullionists  were  a  religious  sect. 
Was  afraid  the  inconvertibles  were  very  wicked  people. 
Gold  was  a  metal ;  knew  nothing  more  about  it,  except 
that  it  was  the  root  of  all  evil,  and  that  railway  cuttings 
and  branch  banks  come  of  the  root 


BLUFF  IDENTIFICATION. 

The  late  E.  M.  S.,  of  Cincinnati,  was  a  rough  diamond 
of  the  first  water,  who  had  little  patience  with  airy 

people.  Going  into  M 's  bank  one  day,  he  presented 

a  check  payable  to  his  own  order,  which  M.  in  person 
threw  back,  saying  pompously,  "  Don't  know  you,  sir  !  " 
S.  stepped  back,  and  gazing  at  the  banker  from  head  to 
feet,  rejoined,  "That's  just  my  fix  exactly,  sir  !  I've  been 
in  this  town,  man  and  boy,  for  twenty-seven  years,  and 
/  never  heard  of  you  before  !  " 

The  money  was  paid  over  to  him  without  another 
word. 


INDORSER'S    QUALIFICATIONS. 

A  worthy  but  poor  minister  once  requested  the  loan 
of  fifty  dollars  from  the  cashier  of  a  country  bank  ;  and 


Humorous  Clippings.  113 

in  the  note  requesting  the  favor,  he  said  that  if  the  cash- 
ier would  oblige  him,  he  would  "  pay  him  in  ten  days, 
on  the  faith  of  Abraham."  The  cashier  returned  word 
that,  by  the  rules  of  the  bank,  the  indorser  of  the  note 
must  reside  in  the  State  ! 


DISCOUNTING   A   HIBERNIAN'S  NOTE. 

A  transparent  Hibernian  wanted  a  friend  to  discount 
a  note.  "  If  I  advance  this,'  said  the  lender,  "  will  you 
pay  your  note  punctually  ?"  "  I  will,  on  my  honor," 
replied  the  other — "the  expense  of  the  protest  and  all  T 


PANIC      BLUNDERS— WRONG      CERTIFICATE 
AT    THE    BANK. 

In  the  midst  of  one  of  the  worst  of  our  business 
panics,  and  at  the  moment  when  everybody  thought  all 
the  banks  were  going  to  the  dogs  together,  Jones — the 
inevitable  Jones — rushed  into  the  bank  of  which  he  was 
a  stockholder,  and  thrusting  the  certificate  into  the  face 
of  the  transfer  clerk,  he  said  in  great  haste,  "  Here, 
please  transfer  half  that  to  James  P.  Smith  !"  The  clerk 
looked  at  it  and  asked,  "  Which  half,  Mr.  Jones  ?"  "  I 
don't  care  which  half,"  replied  Jones,  puzzled  at  the 
inquiry. 

"  You  had  better  go  to  the  courts  ;  I  can't  make  the 


1 1 4  The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 

transfer  without  a  legal  decision.  If  you  really  wish  to 
transfer  your  other  half  to  Mr.  Smith,  we  can't  do  it 
here."  Jones  was  confounded.  He  knew  the  banks 
were  all  in  a  muddle,  but  this  was  too  deep  for  him.  He 
took  his  certificate  from  the  hand  of  the  smiling  clerk, 
and,  on  looking  at  it,  lo  !  it  was  his  marriage  certificate  ! 
Being  a  printed  form,  on  fine  paper,  and  put  away 
among  his  private  papers,  it  was  the  first  thing  that 
Mr.  Jones  laid  hands  on  when  he  went  to  his  secretary 
for  his  bank-stock  scrip.  He  went  home,  kissed  his 
wife — glad  to  find  she  hadn't  been  transferred  to  Mr. 
Smith — and,  taking  the  right  papers  this  time,  hastened 
down  town,  in  season  to  get  the  matter  all  straight. 


DUTCHMAN'S    GOLD  IN  A  SAFE   PLACE  AT 

LAST. 

Everybody  will  remember  the  startling  money  panic 
they  had  at  San  Francisco  some  years  ago,  and  the  story 
John  Phoenix  used  to  tell  of  its  effects — individually 
illustrated.  Before  the  fright,  an  old  Dutchman,  by 
dint  of  hard  labor,  had  accumulated  some  five  hundred 
dollars,  which  he  cautiously  deposited  in  one  of  the 
banking-houses  for  safe-keeping.  Rumors  soon  came  to 
his  ears  that  they  were  not  very  safe — some  said  that 
they  had  "broke."  Next  morning  he  tremblingly  drew 
his  balance,  and  put  the  shining  gold  into  his  pocket. 
He  breathed  decidedly  freer,  but  here  was  a  dilemma. 
What  should  he  do  with  it  ?  He  did  not  dare  to  keep  it 


Humorous  Clippings.  115 

in  his  shanty — and  as  for  carrying  it  about  with  him, 
'twas  too  precious  heavy.  So,  after  a  sleepless  night  or 
two,  in  constant  apprehension  of  burglars,  he  deposited 
it  in  another  "banking-office."  Another  day — the  panic 
increased — there  was  a  run  on  his  baak  ;  he  pushed  in 
— drew  his  gold — and  felt  easier  once  more.  Another 
anxious  day  and  night  for  his  "  monish"  and  again  it  was 
deposited  in  a  safe  bank.  This  time  he  felt  safer  than 
ever  before,  and  went  quietly  to  his  work.  But  the 
panic  reached  that  bank,  and  anxious  depositors  besieged 
the  doors.  Mynheer  heard  the  news,  and  put  post  haste, 
book  in  hand,  for  the  scene  of  action — jammed  in  with 
the  crowd — drew  his  gold,  new  and  bright — put  it  safe 
in  his  corduroys — and  was  happy  once  more  ;  but  here 
was  the  dilemma  fresh  again — where  to  put  it  !  He  had 
gone  pretty  much  the  rounds  of  the  banks,  and  having 
had  such  narrow  escapes,  couldn't  and  wouldn't  trust 
them  any  more.  He  sat  down  on  a  curbstone  and  solil- 
oquized thus:  "I  put  mine  monish  in  von  bank,  ven  he 
preak  ;  I  put  him  in  de  oder  bank,  ven  he  preak  too  ;  I 
draw  him  out  ;  I  can  no  keep  him  home  ;  I  put  him  into 
dis  bank,  now  dis  one  preak  ;  vat  te  tuyvil  shall  I  do  ?  I 
now  take  him  home  and  sew  him  up  in  my  frou's  petti- 
coat, and  if  she  preakes,  I  preakes — her  head  !" 


Jimmy  B.,  a  frugal  son  of  Erin,  would  once  in  a  while 
have  a  wrestle  with  John  Barleycorn.  After  one  of 
these  bouts  he  came  to  the  bank  in  great  excitement  to 


n6  The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 

notify  the  teller  that  his  bank-book  had  been  stolen,  and 
added,  vehemently,  "If  the  incindiary  comes,  you  must 
detict  him  ! " 


H.,  the  notary,  "rotund,  rubicund  and  jocund,"  was 
stepping  into  his  buggy  with  a  handful  of  unpaid  notes, 
to  go  his  rounds  of  presentation  and  demand.  "  Going 
out  to  take  the  air?"  hailed  an  acquaintance.  "Next 
thing  to  it,"  said  H. ;  "  I'm  going  out  to  raise  the  wind." 


Gottlieb  Schneider  sometimes  wanted  to  collect  by 
draft   the  account   of  a  country  customer.      On   such 

occasions  he  would  get  the  collection  clerk  of  the  

bank  to  fill  up  a  draft  for  him.  One  day  he  dumb- 
foundered  a  new  clerk  by  announcing  to  him,  "I  vants  to 
pull  on  Maysville."  It  took  some  minutes  to  get  up  a 
mutual  understanding,  and  to  teach  Gottlieb  that  pulling 
and  drawing  are  not  always  the  same. 


THE  DISAPPOINTED  BANKER. 

Could  anything  be  wittier  for  a  banker  than  the  fol- 
lowing new  and  neat  reply  of  Baron  Rothschild,  told  by 
Arsene  Houssaye  ?  One  of  his  friends,  of  the  third 
degree,  a  sort  of  banker,  came  to  borrow  $2,000. 

"Here  it  is,"  said  the  baron,  "but  remember  that  as 
a  rule  I  only  lend  to  crowned  heads."  M.  de  Rothschild 


Humorous   Clippings.  117 

never  dreamed  of  seeing  his  money  again,  but,  wonderful 
to  relate,  at  the  end  of  a  month,  the  borrower  came  back 
with  his  $2,000.  The  baron  could  scarcely  believe  his 
eyes  ;  but  he  foreboded  that  this  was  not  the  end.  Sure 
enough,  a  month  later  the  borrower  reappeared,  asking 
for  the  loan  of  $4,000.  "No,  no,"  said  the  baron,  "you 
disappointed  me  once  by  paying  me  that  money.  I  do 
not  want  to  be  disappointed  again." 


A  MINOR  DISTINCTION. 

The  following  is  contributed  by  a  Trojan  : 

The  other  day  an  intelligent-looking  English  woman 
came  into  our  savings  bank,  wishing  to  deposit  some 

money  to  the  credit  of  George ,  the  same  name  as 

that  of  her  husband,  who  already  had  an  account  open. 
Supposing  it  to  be  her  son,  I  said, 

"Is  he  a  minor  ?" 

"No,"  replied  the  lady  ;  "he's  a  blacksmith." 


THE  CASHIER'S  DELIGHT. 

[TIME  LOCKS  DISPENSED  WITH.] 

The  New  York  Graphic  recently  contained  the  follow- 
ing unique  sketch,  illustrating  the  latest  approved 
method  of  keeping  the  combination  of  the  vault.  The 
machine  works  admirably, — wherever  it  has  been  tried. 


The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 


The  inventor  will  now  win  the  everlasting  gratitude  of 
all  the  banks,  if  he  will  so  perfect  his  invention  as  to  fit 
up  a  few  thousand  for  the  customer  who  talks,  for  the 
office  bore,  the  peripatetic  book  agent,  et  al. 


(From  the  New  York  Daily  Graphic,  October  29,  1878.) 


PATENT  COMPOUND   DUPLEX    ELLIPTIC   LOCK  FOR   THE  MOUTH   OF   THE 
BANK  OFFICIAL  WHO  KNOWS  THE  "COMBINATION." 


Humorous    Clippings.  119 


A   NEW  YORK   DEAL. 

Smith,  Brown,  Jones  and  Robinson  own  a  mine. 
The  property  is  incorporated — 100,000  shares  of  the  par 
value  of  $100  each.  The  stock  is  listed  on  the  New 
York  Mining  Board,  and  Smith  is  in  New  York  making 
a  "  deal."  The  office  of  the  company  is  in  this  city,  and 
the  Secretary  resides  here,  but  he  went  fishing  a  few 
weeks  since,  and  a  friend  of  his  was  kind  enough  to  con- 
sent to  act  as  Secretary  for  him  in  his  absence.  One 
day  Brown,  who  is  one  of  the  Directors  of  the  Big 
Thing  G.  and  S.  M.  Company,  went  into  the  office  of 
the  company,  and  the  acting  Secretary  said  to  him  : 

"  See  here,  Brown,  you  might  give  a  fellow  a  show  to 
make  something  in  the  Big  Thing." 

"  Fact  is,"  returned  Brown,  "  there's  not  much  doing 
in  the  stock  here  in  San  Francisco,  but  we  hope  to  place 
it  in  New  York,  and  that  is  why  Smith  is  on  there  now. 
But  being  as  it's  you,  I'll  leave  you  have  a  thousand  for 
four  bits  a  share.  There's  not  a  share  of  the  stock  out, 
but  Smith  is  watching  it  in  New  York,  and  we  hope  to 
create  an  interest  in  it  and  get  people  to  buy  it." 

The  acting  Secretary  took  the  stock  and  mailed  it  to 
a  sharp  mining  broker  friend  in  New  York  with  instruc- 
tions to  sell  it  in  the  Mining  Board.  The  friend  re- 
ceived the  stock  and  went  into  the  board  to  sell  it. 
When  Big  Thing  was  called,  Smith's  broker  began  to 
bid  frantically  for  any  number  of  shares  at  $2,  and 
another  one  of  Smith's  brokers  occasionally  let  him 


I2O  The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 

have  a  ten  or  twenty  share  lot.  Pretty  soon  Broker  No. 
i  got  desperate  and  bid  $2.25  for  1,000. 

"  Sold,"  yelled  the  acting  Secretary's  friend. 

And  Smith,  Brown,  Jones  and  Robinson  were  sold, 
and  the  acting  Secretary  got  the  money. 

By  return  mail  Brown  heard  the  news,  and,  happen- 
ing to  drop  into  the  office,  he  remarked  to  the  acting 
Secretary  :  "  There's  something  mysterious  going  on  in 
this  here  company.  There  ain't  a  share  of  the  stock  out, 
and  Brown  writes  me  from  New  York  that  he  had  taken 
in  a  thousand  at  two  and  a  quarter.  Where  do  you  sup- 
pose it  could  have  come  from  ?" 

"  I  don't  know  to  a  certainty,"  replied  the  acting 
Secretary,  "  but  I  got  advices  from  my  broker  in  New 
York  this  morning  that  he  had  sold  my  thousand  Big 
Thing  at  two  and  a  quarter,  and  putting  this  and  that 
together,  you  know " 

Brown  did  not  wait  to  hear  any  more,  but  rushed 
around  to  the  telegraph  office,  and  telegraphed  to  the 
Secretary  to  come  home  and  take  charge  of  things  d — n 
quick,  as  everything  in  the  office  was  going  to  rack  and 
ruin,  and  the  man  he  had  put  on  as  a  sub  was  a  fraud 
of  the  deepest  dye. — San  Francisco  Stock  Report, 


AN    UNSATISFACTORY    ANSWER. 

Mr.  O'C ,  a  cotton  merchant,  and  mayor  of  our 

city  of  10,000  people,  drinks, — sometimes  excessively. 
Having  occasion  recently  to  present  a  draft  of  one  of 


FINANCERING    IN     THE     OLDEN     TIME. 
A  DIRECTORS'  MEETING — A  LA  DARWIN. 


Humorous    Clippings.  121 

his  customers  to  him,  which  had  been  given  to  me  by 

the  Bank  for  protest,  I  found  him  considerably 

under  the  influence  of  John  Barleycorn,  as  our  conver- 
sation illustrates  : 

"  Mr.  O'C ,  will  you  pay  this  draft  ?" 

"I  reckon  ze  draf's  allright,  zit  down  a  lil'  while — 
when  ze  bo'keep'r  comes  in,  he  give  you  a  shock — hie." 

"  But  I  can't  take  a  check.  Must  have  the  money.  It 
is  in  my  hands  for  protest." 

"  Ze  devil  you  can't !  Who  shends  you  here  wiz 
such  a  message  as  'at  ?" 

"  The Bank,  sir." 

"  Well — hie — you  tell  ze  Bank  to  protess — hie — 

an'  be  dam  !  Tell  'em  zaf." 

The  answer  was  duly  noted  and  extended  by  the 
notary,  who  hopes  the  reply  was  as  funny  to  all  con- 
cerned as  to  him.  p. 


CHINESE  TIME. 

The  Chinese  have  a  curious  but  very  remarkable 
method  of  keeping  time.  If  a  Chinaman  borrows  five 
dollars  of  you,  and  agrees  to  return  it  in  three  days  you 
can't  catch  sight  of  him  for  three  weeks.  If  you  borrow 
five  dollars  of  him  and  agree  to  return  it  in  three  weeks, 
he  calls  at  the  end  of  three  days  and  demands  his  cash. 


Grand  write  and  left  was  the  forger's  last  change  as 
he  waltzed  out  of  sight. 


122  Tfa  Bankers   Scrap- Book. 


A  QUEER   TOAST. 

At  a  dinner  at  the  Mansion  House,  London,  three 
foreign  consuls  were  present,  whom  the  Lord  Mayor 
wished  to  honor  by  drinking  their  healths.  He  accord- 
ingly directed  the  toastmaster  to  announce  the  healths  of 
"the  three  present  consuls."  He,  however,  mistaking 
the  words,  gave  out  the  following:  "The  Lord  Mayor 
drinks  the  health  of  the  three  per  cent,  consols." 


When  our  Uncle  Samuel  decides  to  issue  another 
new  dollar,  we  shall  be  on  hand  to  suggest  the  owl  as  a 
bird  entitled  to  consideration  in  the  matter  of  portraits. 
The  bird  of  wisdom  has  been  shabbily  treated. 


When  you  ask  a  Turkish  fellow  for  that  half  dollar 
he  owes  you,  don't  say  "hand  us  over  that  fifty  cents," 
but,  "  See  here,  effendi,  fork  over  that  yrmilykmedjid." 


Norfolk  kept  quiet,  got  to  bed  at  a  seasonable  hour, 
lived  economically,  and  is  now  the  headquarters  of  the 
peanut  trade  of  America. 


The  banker  leads  a  loan-sum  life. 


CORRESPONDENCE. 


"  Never  write  a  letter — never  destroy  one." 

— GOETHE'S  MEPHISTOPHILES. 


SPECIMEN 

OF  SEVERAL  HUNDRED  LETTERS  RECEIVED  BY  THE  COMPILER  HEREOF. 

NOTE. — Running  a  bank  is  not  altogether  fun. 

,  PA.,  Dec.,  1878. 


DEAR  SIR: — I  am  in  receipt  of  your  "  announcement  " 
of  the  "  Cashier's  Scrap-Book,"  and  I  assure  you  of  my 
best  wishes  for  its  success.  It  is  only  necessary  to  tell 
the  truth  to  make  it  one  of  the  most  thrilling  books  of 
the  times.  The  writer  hereof  has  been  through  one 
grand  robbery  of  $150,000  by  his  own  book-keeper — one 
failure  of  over  $100,000 — one  hunt  for  two  days  for  a  lost 
special  of  $2,500,  subsequently  found  adhering  to  the 
side  of  the  safe  by  the  aid  of  unnecessary  gum  Arabic — 
another  hunt  of  three  days  for  a  package  of  $5,000,  in 
large  bills,  supposed  to  be  lost,  but  wasn't ;  the  agony  of 
all  of  which  is  known  only  to  him  who  "knows  how  it 
is  himself." 

I  inclose  a  few  items,  and,  wishing  you  all  sorts  of 
good  luck, 

I  am,  yours  truly, 

,  Cashier. 


124  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 

ALMOST  A  RUN. 

A  PRINCE  EDWARD'S  ISLAND  INCIDENT. 

To  a  student  of  human  nature,  no  better  place  could 
be  found  for  his  studies  than  behind  a  bank  counter.  I 
have  been  no  exception  to  the  rule,  but  at  the  present 
time  can  only  call  to  mind  one  incident  worthy  of  a 
place  in  your  book.  It  is  illustrative  of  how  easily  a 
run  may  be  caused  on  a  bank  by  ignorant  persons  mis- 
taking what  one  says. 

Some  years ,  ago  the  writer  was  teller  and  acting 

accountant  in  a  bank  agency  in .  In  this  bank, 

as  in  many  others,  it  was  the  custom  to  have  a  box 
attached  to  the  outside  of  the  counter,  in  which  were 
deposited  all  notes  offered  for  discount,  and  which  was 
opened  from  time  to  time.  While  the  teller  was  paying 
a  large  number  of  fishermen  who  had  checks  on  the 
bank,  the  hour  of  twelve  struck,  after  which  time  no 
notes  would  be  received  for  discount.  He  asked  the 
messenger  who  was  standing  outside  the  counter  to  see 
if  there  were  any  more  notes  in  the  box,  and  received  as 
answer,  "  None,  sir."  To  his  astonishment,  those  fisher- 
men who  had  not  yet  been  paid  turned  and  left  the  bank 
in  a  body,  and  rushed  down  the  street  and,  as  was  after- 
wards found  out,  told  every  one  they  met  that  the  bank 
had  no  more  money.  They  went  down  to  the  office  of 
the  drawer  of  the  checks,  who  returned  with  them,  and 
matters  were  soon  explained,  but  some  people  actually 


Correspondence.  125 

called  at  the  bank  to  inquire  if  it  was  not  in  difficul- 
ties. 

Yours  truly, 


SCRIPTURE    CIPHER. 

The  cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  St.  Paul, 
Minnesota,  had  occasion,  some  time  ago,  to  notify  the 
cashier  of  a  bank  in  the  southern  part  of  the  State  that 
his  account  was  overdrawn.  For  answer  he  received  the 
following  telegram  : 

BANK  OF ,  June  13,  1871. 

Cashier  First  National  Bank,  St.  Paul  : 
See  Matthew,  xviii.  chapter,  2pth  verse. 

Yours, ,  Cashier. 

To  which,  the  following  was  promptly  telegraphed 
back  in  reply: 

FIRST  NATIONAL  BANK,  ST.  PAUL,  June  13,  1871. 

Cashier Bank  : 

Examine  Matthew,  v.  25. 

Yours, ,  Cashier. 

The  reader  may  search  the  Scriptures  and  find  out 

the  point. 

» 

SATISFACTORY    IDENTIFICATION. 

A  number  of  years  ago,  when  teller  of  this  bank,  a 
man  presented  a  check  payable  to  his  order.  I  wished 


126  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 

him  to  be  identified,  and  he  said  it  was  impossible,  as  he 
had  no  acquaintances  in  the  city ;  and  seemed  quite  dis- 
appointed. Suddenly  a  happy  thought  presented  itself 
to  him,  and  he  began  to  unbutton  his  vest  and  pull  up 
his  shirt,  remarking  that  it  was  all  right,  he  had  got  his 
name  on  his  shirt  flap.  It  was  such  a  novel  idea,  and 
the  check  being  for  a  small  amount,  I  concluded  to  pay, 
and  he  went  away  happy.  Yours, 

FOSTER,  Cashier. 


SARCASTIC. 

In  September,  1871,  a  gentleman  came  into  this  bank 
and  presented  a  check  of  one  of  our  dealers,  payable  to 
Baldwin  &  Co.,  and  asked  for  a  draft  on  Chicago  for  the 
proceeds,  which  was  given  him  ;  the  draft  being  made 
payable  to  the  order  of  Baldwin  &  Co.  In  a  few  days 

the  draft  was  returned  to  the  bank  by  S &  C , 

Bankers,  ,  Wisconsin,  without  indorsement,  with 

a  request  that  we  issue  a  new  draft  to  their  order  in  the 
place  of  it,  or  else  send  the  money  to  their  credit  in 
Chicago,  as  the  draft  had  not  been  made  payable  to  the 
right  person. 

To  this,  reply  was  made  as  follows  : 

"THE  STATE  NATIONAL  BANK  OF  KEOKUK, 

"  KEOKUK,  IOWA,  September  22,  1871. 
"  MESSRS.  S &  C , 


-,  Wisconsin. 


"Dear   Sirs: — Your  favor  of  20th  inst.  is  received, 
with  an   inclosure,  $1,242.25.     We  cannot  pay  without 


Correspondence.  127 

Baldwin  &  Co.'s  indorsement,  as  we  were  directed  to 
make  it  to  their  order.  We  have  sent  it  to  the  bank  at 
Pella,  Iowa,  to  get  the  proper  indorsement,  and  will 
report  to  you.  Very  respectfully, 

" ,  Cashier." 

By  due  course  of  mail  this  note  was  returned,  with  the 
following  remark  in  pencil  at  the  bottom  of  the  sheet : 

"  Who  in  H — 1  asked  you  to  make  a  draft  payable  to 
Baldwin  &  Co.  ? 

"  S &  C ." 

To  this  the  cashier  replied,  on  the  back  of  the  same 
sheet,  as  follows : 

"  MESSRS.  S &  C , 

"  Gentlemen  : — Your  inquiry  on  the  opposite  page 
hardly  demands  a  courteous  reply,  but  as  it  was  doubt- 
less written  while  laboring  under  an  attack  of  irritation, 
and  we  always  intend  to  treat  people  with  civility,  I  will 
say  that  the  draft  was  drawn  as  asked  for  by  Mr.  Barren, 
as  our  teller  understood  it,  and  if  not,  Mr.  B.  was  pres- 
ent, and  had  eyes  to  see  if  it  was  right.  If  you  are 
bankers,  you  ought  to  know  that  we  could  not  safely 
pay  the  draft  or  issue  a  new  one  without  the  indorse- 
ment of  the  payee.  We  did  the  next  best  thing — got  it 
properly  indorsed,  and  returned  it  to  you  a  day  or  two 
since.  The  parties  were  all  strangers  to  us. 

"I  will  add  that  it  was  not  in  the  place  mentioned 
that  he  asked  us  to  make  the  draft.  We  were  never 


128  The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 

there,  and  do  not  expect  to  be,  and  we  make  this  expla- 
nation, as  we  may  never  meet  you. 

"  With  due  respect, 

" ,  Cashier." 

It  is,  perhaps,- needless  to  add   that  there  was  no 
further  correspondence. 


LETTER    FROM    IOWA. 

ANITA,  IOWA,  February  n,  1879. 

Dear  Sir  : — Last  summer,  soon  after  Greenback  clubs 
were  formed  here,  th^  president  of  one  of  them  was 
asked  what  he  wanted  to  start  a  new  party  for,  and  what 
his  principles  were.  Said  he,  "We  haven't  got  our  prin- 
ciples yet.  We  asked  the  man  who  came  around  start- 
ing the  clubs,  and  he  said  he  hadn't  any,  but  they  would 
be  sent  us  from  New  York  in  a  few  weeks."  Soon  after 
resumption  was  proved  a  success,  I  asked  him  if  he 
had  his  principles  yet,  and  he  said  "Yes.  I  am  for  keep- 
ing the  amount  of  greenbacks  the  same  as  at  present, 
and  always  at  par." 

How  will  this  do  as  a  sample  of  thin  security  ? 

One  day  in  midwinter,  a  stranger  stepped  into  our 
office,  and  wanted  a  loan  of  $100,  offering  as  security  a 
chattel  mortgage  on  his  next  crop  of  corn,  and  the  fol- 
lowing dialogue  ensued  : 

"Where  is  your  farm?" 

"  I  don't  own  any  land." 


Correspondence.  1 29 

"  What  farm  have  you  rented  ?" 

"  I  haven't  rented  any  yet,  but  I  am  going  to  rent  one 
somewhere  near  this  place." 

The  man  was  evidently  in  earnest,  and  seemed  sur- 
prised because  his  "security  "  was  considered  "too  thin." 

Yours  truly, 

C.  M.  MYERS,  Cashier. 


A   LADY   BANK  PRESIDENT. 
[OFFICIAL  ANNOUNCEMENT.] 

STATE  NATIONAL  BANK  OF  RALEIGH, 

RALEIGH,  N.  C.,  Feb.  10,  1879. 

Dear  Sir: — In  a  meeting  of  the  board  of  directors  of 
this  bank,  held  to-day,  Mrs.  M.  C.  Williams  and  E.  R. 
Stamps,  Esq.,  were  elected  directors,  and  Mrs.  M.  C. 
Williams  was  elected  president  of  the  bank. 

The  signature  of  the  president  will  be  found  below. 
Respectfully,  SAML.  C.  WHITE, 

Cashier. 
M.  C.  WILLIAMS, 

President. 


FROM  A  "FREEDMAN'S  BANK   CASHIER." 

RICHMOND,  Va.,  Feb.  12,  1879. 

Some    time    during    my    cashiership   in   the    Rich- 
mond    office    of     the     Freedman's    Savings    &    Trust 

Co.,    a    colored    man    presented    a    pass-book    at    the 
6* 


130  The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 

counter  and  desired  to  withdraw  a  sum  of  money. 
An  examination  showed  the  account  to  be  in  the  name 
of  his  wife,  who,  under  the  act  incorporating  our  bank, 
had  exclusive  control  of  her  deposit,  which  could  not 
be  withdrawn  without  her  presence,  or  a  written  order — 
this  I  informed  the  husband,  and  prepared  a  check  for 
the  amount,  instructing  the  man  to  have  his  wife  make, 
her  mark  at  the  place  designated,  as  she  could  not  write, 
and  have  it  witnessed  by  some  person  who  could  write. 
The  man  went  out  to  obtain  his  wife's  mark.  After 
some  time,  he  returned  and  handed  me  the  check.  I  ex- 
amined it,  and  found  it  in  the  same  condition  as  when  I 
gave  it  to  him.  A  conversation  somewhat  similar  to  the 
following  ensued. 

Cashier.     I  do  not  see  any  mark  on  the  check. 

Man.     She  made  her  mark. 

Cashier.     Where  ? 

Man.     There — pointing  to  a  torn  corner  of  the  check. 

The  woman  had  torn  off  one  corner  of  the  check.  She 
had  make  her  mark  certain.  CHAS.  SPENCER. 


This  is  how  a  freedman  made  an  "  inquiration  "  as  to 
his  little  deposit  in  the  late  Freedman's  Savings  &  Trust 
Company  : 

mw  N  ca  Ap  27  174  AD. 
Mr  Purcer  Cashir — 

as  I  understand  that  the  Freedman  Bank,  in  Wash- 
ington citty  are  about  to  be  deprived  of  its  pecuniary 
funds,  and  very  likely  to  be  broken  you  will  pleas  write 


Correspondence.  131 

me  whether  or  not.  You  pleas  give  me  true 

financial  information  as  you  can  concerning  this  Bank 
and  its  discontented  means,  and  I  will  be  under  many 
obligations  to  you. 

Your  most  Honorable  Friend, 


LOUISVILLE  EXPERIENCES. 

Banking  must  be  a  delightful  occupation  in  Louis- 
ville. The  Scrap-Book  has  received  the  following  letter, 
which  is  its  own  explanation,  and  shows  the  wide  range 
of  talent  necessary  for  successful  financiering  in  those 
parts: 

"OFFICE  OF  GERMAN  SECURITY  BANK, 
"LOUISVILLE,  KY., ,  1879. 

"  I  take  it  as  a  pleasure  and  privilege  to  furnish  an 
item  for  your  book.  Though  a  young  banker  of  only 
twelve  years'  experience,  I  have  seen  many  funny  things, 
though  perhaps  hardly  worthy  of  mention. 

"  Although  an  American,  Kentuckian  born,  running 
a  bank  originally  gotten  up  by  me,  my  influence  among 
the  German  population  of  our  city,  and  as  a  German- 
American  Bank,  has  so  united  the  two  national  influ- 
ences as  to  make  it  (though  I  say  it  myself)  the  most 
prosperous,  as  to  dividends,  of  any  bank  in  our  city. 
Since  originating  the  bank,  I  have  been  looked  upon,  by 
one  portion  of  our  population  and  my  customers,  as 
having  previously  occupied  myself  with  the  legal  frater- 
nity ;  by  another,  as  having  been  previously  a  Methodist 


132  TJtf  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 

or  some  other  denominationalist  preacher  ;  others  again 
give  me  credit  for  having  followed  up  the  practice  of 
medicine,  and  again,  others  think  me  a  natural-born 
financier  ;  hence,  I  have  had  grave  questions  concerning 
all  professions  often  propounded  to  me. 

"One  of  the  firm  of  S.  &  T.,  S.,  for  instance,  goes 
to  Europe,  leaving  T.  in  charge.  On  return  of  S.  he 
undertakes  to  examine  the  business  and  books  in  his  ab- 
sence ;  finding  T.  (who  is  Tobe,  and  S.,  who  is  Stoekhoff, 
both  Germans)  has  lived  on  a  remarkably  small 
amount  in  his  absence,  demands  to  know  how  it  is,  and 
if  he  actually  charged  to  himself  (Tobe)  the  amount  of 
cash  he  drew  since  his,  S.'s,  absence  in  Germany.  Tobe 
says,  '  Of  course,  I  did  not  charge  myself  with  all,  for 

since  I  own  one-half  of  the  store,  I  would  be  a  d 

fool  to  charge  myself  with  ten  dollars  when  I  only  draw 
ten  ;  but  in  such  cases  I  always  charged  myself  with  five 
dollars;'  and  in  explanation  said  to  S.,  'Don't  one-half 
the  store  belong  to  me?'  'Yes.'  'Well,  why  then  do  I 
charge  myself  with  what  belonged  to  me?1  S.  scratches 
his  head,  said  that  looked  fair,  but  they  would  both  call 
on  Mr.  B.  (that's  me),  and  he  could  soon  settle  it  ;  and 
notwithstanding  my  very  plain  explanation  that  T. 
should,  during  the  absence  of  S.,  have  charged  himself 
with  every  dollar  in  full  that  he  drew,  without  dis- 
count ;  and  that,  on  his  principle,  he  might  have  sold  the 
entire  store  out  during  S.'s  absence,  for  cash,  pocketed 
all  the  money,  and  only  charged  himself  with  one-half, 
and  on  S.'s  return  have  divided  the  remaining  half,  thus 
giving  him,  T.,  three-quarters  of  the  whole,  and  S.  one* 


Correspondence.  133 

quarter  of  the  whole,  who,  on  going  to  Europe,  was 
owner  of  one-half,  T.  was  not  satisfied,  and  I  looked 
upon  as  a  prejudiced  arbitrator ;  and  while  he,  T.,  had 
agreed  to  abide  my  arbitration,  would  do  it  ;  but  one 

thing  was  d certain,  he  would  at  once  dissolve  with 

S.,  a  man  who  would  take  advantage  of  such  one-sided 
arbitration — and  so  the  firm  of  S.  &  T.  dissolved. 

"Applications  for  legal  documents,  such  as  partner- 
ships, deeds,  mortgages,  &c.,  are  daily  made  under  the  im- 
pression I  had  been  a  lawyer,  and  such  things  could  be 
done  through  me  for  nothing.  The  times  I  have  been  called 
to  the  death-bed  of  a  former  depositor,  and  asked  to  sing 
and  pray,  are  numerous  ;  and  while  I  claim  to  sing  very 
bass  or  base,  I  am  not  much  on  the  pray  ;  but  I  worry 
through  with  it,  strange  to  say.  Yet  the  study  of  both  law 
and  theology  have  always  been  the  most  foreign  to  my 
inclinations.  I  had  a  firm  to  deposit  with  me  under 
firm  name  of  D.  Davis  &  Co.  Wertheimerwas  the  Com- 
pany. Having  the  most  money  in  the  firm,  W.  desired 
his  name  to  be  more  conspicuous  in  the  firm,  and  noti- 
fied me  that  hereafter  his  old  firm  would  sail  under  the 
new  firm  name  of  W.  &  D.  Davis.  I  undertook  to 
explain  that  such  sign  would  indicate  that  the  firm  was 
composed  of  W.  Davis  &  D.  Davis,  but  he  could  not  see 
it,  and  so  the  firm  name  is  to  this  day. 

"Often  in  sickness  have  I  been  called  upon  by  my 
German  constituency,  under  the  belief  I  was  formerly 
an  M.  D.,  to  prescribe.  Being  so  successful,  with  the  use 
of  a  few  of  Cook's  Compound  Cathartic  Pills,  which  I 
happened  to  have  in  my  pocket  when  called  upon  to 


134  The  Bankers1  Scrap-Book . 

visit  the  sick  patient,  I  have  ever  since  bought  them  for 
such  occasions  by  the  wholesale,  and  administer  them  to 
every  patient  who  sends  for  me,  regardless  of  the  com- 
plaint, and  have  reason  to  congratulate  myself  that  I 
have  never  been  called  on  the  second  time  by  the  same 
patient.  Of  course,  I  cured  them  all. 

"  Financially,  I  am  called  on  daily  by  my  depositors, 
who  have  more  money  than  is  doing  them  good,  to  know 
how  an  investment  in  this,  that,  or  the  other  will  do. 
Fortunately,  so  far,  I  have  been  successful  in  my  advice 
to  ninety-nine  out  of  a  hundred;  but  one  out  of  a  hun- 
dred, acting  on  my  advice,  has  missed  it,  and  invariably 
comes  back  on  me  for  redress,  and  insists  that,  inasmuch 
as  they  have  made  a  loss  on  certain  speculations  under 
my  advice,  I  should  make  up  the  loss ;  the  ninety- 
nine  out  of  every  hundred  who  did  well  under  similar 
advice  never  express  any  gratitude  or  opinion  further 
than  I  had  done  nothing  more  than  was  my  duty  to  do ; 
all  of  which  has  almost  forced  me  to  the  determination 
that  I  will  place  a  placard  in  the  office  of  the  bank, 
'  The  cashier  was  never  a  lawyer,  a  doctor,  nor  a  minister, 
and  is  rapidly  concluding  that  he  is  no  financier,  and 
those  who  insist  to  the  contrary,  and  will  be  advised, 
must  in  future  pay  the  usual  fee;'  and  that  'Marrying, 
where  the  bride  is  pretty,  and  he  is  accorded  the  first 
kiss,  will  in  future  be  made  a  specialty.' 

"  Yours  truly, 
"  Cashier  of  bank  named  in  caption." 


Correspondence.  135 


BANKING   IN    COLORADO. 

Dear  "  Scrap-Bdok  :" — As  story-telling  seems  to  be 
in  order,  I  wish  to  relate  a  little  Missouri  experience. 

Early  in  1871,  the  writer  helped  start  a  bank  in 
southwest  Missouri.  Until  better  quarters  could  be 
obtained,  we  rented  the  office  of  the  leading  hotel  of  the 
place,  that  had  formerly  been  used  as  a  bar-room. 

A  few  days  after  our  occupation  of  the  aforesaid 
room,  a  chap  about  six  feet  five  in  his  stockings,  and 
with  a  voice  like  the  first  rumblings  of  an  earthquake, 
clad  in  the  time-honored  "homespun,"  stalked  in,  and 
after  looking  cautiously  around,  said  :  "  Set  'em  eout, 
mister"  Thinking  the  fellow  was  crazy,  we  blandly 
asked  what  we  could  do  for  him.  With  this  he  drew 
himself  up  to  his  full  perpendicular — so  to  speak — and 
said  :  "  /  know  it  air  agin  the  law  to  sell  licker  to  a  chap  as 
isent  vouched  for,  but  I  am  jest  from  Texas,  and  want  about 
a  mule's  ear  full  of  the  strongest  whisky  you  have  in  your 
shop,  and  no  foolirf  either."  And  we  could  hardly  make 
the  man  believe  that  we  were  trying  in  our  humble  way 
to  run  a  bank,  and  not  selling  whisky  "  on  the  sly."  The 
last  few  years  have  made  many  changes,  and  the  afore- 
said bank,  which  has  assumed  the  title  of  

National  Bank,  has  to  deal  with  a  different  class  of 
humanity.  No  more  does  the  youth  from  the  extreme 
rural  districts  come  in  with  the  "  Heow  much  do  you  pay 
for  coon  skins?"  or  "Mister,  what  do  you  keep  here?"  or, 
"  How  do  you  sell  postage  stamps  ?"  &c.  Yours, 

COLORADO. 


136  The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 


AN    INCIDENT   OF   THE   PANIC. 

WINONA,  MINNESOTA. 

An  Irish  woman  held  against  us  two  or  three  certifi- 
cates for  amounts,  in  the  aggregate  some  three  hundred 
dollars.  Some  one  the  evening  previous  told  her  that 
the  banks  all  over  the  country  had  failed,  that  none  of 
them  were  good  ;  that  alarmed  her,  and  how  to  get  her 
money  on  her  certificates  brought  out  her  Irish  wit  ;  so, 
before  the  bank  opened  the  next  morning,  she  made  her 
appearance  on  the  steps  of  the  bank.  Soon  after  I  went 
in  she  followed  me,  and  before  saying  a  wor«d  began  to 
cry  vigorously.  I  asked  her  what  was  the  matter,  and 
between  sobs  she  said,  "  Oh,  my  poor  child  is  most  dead  T  I, 
of  course,  told  her  of  my  sympathy  for  her,  and  that 
probably  her  child  would  yet  get  well,  &c.,  &c.  But  she 
kept  repeating  with  her  sobs — "  my  poor  child — oh,  my 
poor  child  will  die  !"  While  this  was  going  on,  she  begun 
to  feel  around  under  the  top  of  her  dress  in  front,  and 
drew  out  one  of  her  certificates  and  handed  me ;  I  told 
her  all  right,  and  handed  her  the  money.  Still  crying 
for  her  poor  child,  she  pulled  out  from  the  same  place 
another,  for  which  I  also  handed  her  the  money ;  she 
gave  a  fresh  cry,  and  drew  forth  another  and  the  last 
one.  I  also  handed  the  money  for  this  one.  She 
departed,  and  the  last  I  heard  her  say,  was,  "  Oh,  my 
poor  child  !" 

The  facts,  when  I  inquired  in  regard  to  her,  were, 
she  had  no  children,  sick  or  well,  but  adopted  that  plan 
before  coming  to  the  bank  to  work  up  sympathy,  in  order, 


Correspondence.  137 

as  she  supposed,  to  enable  her  to   get   her  certificates 
cashed. 

The  banks  in  this  city  did  not,  for  a  single  day,  fail 
to  meet  every  demand  on  them,  and  had  ample  resources 
for  every  emergency. 

Yours  very  truly, 

MARK  WILLSON,  President. 


"HOW  EASY  TO  BE  MISTAKEN." 

While  I  was  connected  with  Farmers'  Bank  of  Ken- 
tucky at  Mount  Sterling,  Kentucky,  one  of  our  best  and 
most  favored  depositors  came  in,  filled  a  check,  and  drew 
$100  ;  in  about  two  or  three  days  he  returned,  and  pre- 
senting a  ten  dollar  counterfeit  note,  desired  me  to 
redeem  it,  feeling  certain  that  I  had  paid  it  to  him  in  the 
$100.  I  called  his  memory  to  the  fact  that  I  had  paid 
him  in  twenties,  and  that  I  could  never  have  passed  such 
a  glaring  counterfeit.  All  I  said  was  to  no  purpose  ; 
and  as  he  swore  that  he  had  not  changed,  paid  out,  or 
handled  the  money  since  I  paid  him,  he  could  not  be 
mistaken  ;  and  growing  more  angry  still,  demanded 
his  balance,  and  quit  the  office,  as  he  said,  forever.  In  a 
few  days  he  again  returned — this  time,  with  a  smile  on 
his  face,  and  brimful  of  apologies — saying  that  when  he 
went  home  he  was  telling  his  better-half  how  shame- 
fully I  had  treated  him,  when  she  told  him  that,  wanting 
a  twenty  dollar  bill  to  send  off  in  a  letter,  she  had  gone 
to  his  purse,  withdrawn  a  twenty  and  put  two  tens  in  its 


138  The  Bankers    Scrap-Book. 

place.     The  old  gentleman  says  he  may  be  swindled  by 
a  cashier  in  the  future,  but  he'll  never  believe  it. 

Wishing   you    success,   and   expecting   many   hearty 
laughs  from  "  Our  Scrap-Book," 

I  am,  very  truly, 

A.  S.  MITCHELL,  Cashier. 


FROM  ONEIDA,  NEW  YORK. 

H.  C.  PERCY,  Cashier, 

Dear  Sir  : — My  attention  has  been  called  to  a  circu- 
lar issued  by  you,  requesting  certain  items  growing  out 
of  bank  transactions ;  and  having  been  the  Treasurer  of 
a  Savings  Bank  for  twelve  years,  I  am  tempted  to  state 
one  which,  perhaps  not  entirely  new,  was  nevertheless 
quite  new  as  well  as  amusing  to  me. 

A  farmer  living  some  half  a  dozen  miles  from  our 
bank,  and  who  not  unfrequently  made  deppsits  with  us, 
called  one  day  and  inquired  if  we  had  money  to  loan, 
and  if  we  would  loan  it  on  a  good  note.  He  was  told 
that  we  had  money  to  loan,  but  did  not  loan  it  on  notes 
alone.  That  to  get  money  on  a  note  of  us  it  must  have 
the  additional  security  of  suitable  collaterals.  He 
enquired  what  collaterals  would  answer  ?  and  was 
told  that  good  stocks  would  be  required.  He  came  in  a 
few  days  after,  laid  down  his  note,  and  said  with  a  confi- 
dent air  that  he  would  take  three  hundred  dollars.  I 
inquired  as  to  his  collaterals — what  they  were.  He  re- 
plied, horses  and  oxen  and  cows.  He  was  told  that  the 


Correspondence.  139 

stocks  referred  to  were  government  bonds,  state  bonds, 
&c.  He  said  he  had  none  of  that  particular  kind  of 
stock,  and  left  quite  disappointed. 

Oneida  Savings  Bank. 


This  corner  was  reserved  for  a  poem  from  an  Indiana 
Banker  (Auburn),  and  this  is  what  he  sent. 

Dear  Sir  : — I  should  like  to  send  you  a  Wegglian 
Idyl  or  so,  but  having  a  child's  obituary  (one  of  our  best 
customers'  "cherished  and  only")  immediately,  and  a 
Decoration-Day  poem  soon  to  evolve,  I  must  refrain. 
Let  me  add  that  I  "  know  enough  to  know  "  that  you 
have  struck  a  rich  vein,  and  I  am  sure  it  will  be  worthily 
worked. 

I  once  sent  out  a  draft  for  acceptance,  and  the  accep- 
tor wrote  across  it  Adopted. 

A  party  asked  if  we  would  loan  money  and  take  bonds 
as  calamity — security.  Another  wanted  to  know  if  he 
did  not  pay  his  note  when  due,  if  we  would  detest  it. 

Another  customer,  in  accepting  paper,  invariably 
writes  in  bold  type,  "  EXCEPTED  : "  but  as  he  always 
pays,  we  take  no  exception  thereto.  * 


One  of  Her  Majesty's  bank  managers  in  Canada 
favors  us  with  the  following  : 

An  Irishman,  after  an  absence  of  eighteen  years,  re- 
turned to  visit  his  relatives,  with  about  sixteen  hundred 


140  The  Bankers    Scrap-Book. 

dollars  in  gold,  the  result  of  hard  labor  in  the  diggings 
during  that  time. 

He  obtained  a  deposit  receipt  for  the  gold,  which  had 
three  months  to  run  before  it  bore  interest  ;  long  before 
that  the  smiles  of  his  friends  had  drawn  all  his  spare 
cash,  and  often,  under  the  influence  of  old  rye,  he  had 
to  make  varied  excuses  for  breaking  his  receipt,  for 
which  he  was  admonished  with  as  much  severity  as  was 
justifiable,  by  his  banker. 

Being  a  bachelor,  he  loved  children,  and  has  been 
seen  with  two  of  them,  one  in  each  hand,  marching  them 
along  the  main  street,  while  they  gallantly  swayed  huge 
sticks  of  candy,  like  barbers'  poles,  with  their  disengaged 
hands.  These  and  similar  aberrations  from  consistency 
brought  him  to  his  bed,  where  a  doctor  and  the  parish 
priest  had  to  administer  their  respective  consolations. 

The  following  is  his  last  appeal  for  another  hundred  ; 
the  next  appeal  for  the  deposit  receipt  came  from  his 
nearest  kin,  through  the  probate  court. 

"  MOUNT  ST.  PATRICK 

"P.  O.  RINFREW  COUNTY. 
"Mr. 

"  Sir  : — I  happened  to  get  sick  here  I  think  I  will 
have  to  send  for  a  doctor  I  have  no  money,  It  would 
be  like  getting  it  for  nothing  for  me  to  get  one  hundred 
dollars  from  you  now  I  want  it  bad  and  as  you  respect 
yourself  as  A  Gentleman  as  I  do  you  the  same  do  send 
me  the  Above  Amount  for  in  the  word  of  A  Man  I  want 
it  very  bad. 

"  The  Above  is  my  Address       MICHAEL  MADIGAN. 


Correspondence.  1 4 1 

"God  Bless  you. 

"  If  you  like  you  can  send  the  money  to  the  P.  P.  of 
this  place. 

"  If  you  don't  send  me  the  money  demanded  I  will  be 
badly  off." 

"M.  M." 


SPICY   CORRESPONDENCE. 
NATIONAL  BANK  • 


IOWA,  1879. 

A  bookseller  in  Michigan  shipped  this  bank  a  box  of 
books,  to  be  delivered  to  their  agent  in  installments  and 
remitted  for.  The  agent  refused  to  receive  the  books, 
and  after  considerable  delay  and  correspondence,  the 
box  was  shipped  to  the  owner  at  his  request,  and  he  sent 
the  bank  twenty-five  cents  in  three-cent  postage  stamps 
to  pay  the  drayage  (no  other  charge  being  made).  The 
stamps  were  stuck  on  by  the  edge  (as  usual),  and  were 
nearly  destroyed  in  tearing  them  off.  The  cashier  in  ac- 
knowledging the  receipt  of  them,  took  occasion  to  say,  in 
a  civil  and  respectful  manner,  that  a  good  way  to  send 
stamps  by  letter  was  to  touch  the  tongue  to  the  center 
of  the  stamps,  and  then  they  could  be  used  as  well  as  if 
new. 

This  elicited  the  following  reply  : 

" ,  MICH.,  March  3,  1879. 

"My  dear  sir: — Your  kind  and  very  witty  favor  of 
February  28  to  hand.  We  hope  you  will  be  able  to  use 


142  The  Bankers    Scrap-Book. 

the  stamps.  We  are  anxious  to  secure  the  services  of  a 
real  wit,  as  correspondent.  Lacking  both  wit  and  beauty 
ourselves,  we  have  decided  that  if  you  are  as  handsome 
as  you  are  humorous,  we  will  offer  you  the  place.  Will 
you  please  send  us  your  photo.,  or  a  clear  and  compen- 
dious description  of  yourself,  or,  what  will  be  much 
more  to  the  purpose,  call  on  us,  please,  and  so  grant  us 
the  pleasure  of  a  personal  acquaintance. 

"  If  you  suit  us,  the  amount  of  salary  will  not  prevent 
our  hiring  you.  Please  answer. 

"  Sincerely, ." 

The  following  reply  was  sent. 

" NATIONAL  BANK,  Marc/t,  1879. 

"Dear  sir: — Your  flattering  letter  of  3d  inst.  was  duly 
received,  and  I  felt  very  highly  complimented  by  it. 
You  are  undoubtedly  correct  in  your  estimate  of  my 
humorous  abilities,  as  they  are  freely  admitted  by  all 
my  acquaintances,  although  I  do  not  often  '  let  myself 
out,'  being  occupied  in  the  sterner  duties  of  supporting 
a  large  family,  and  having  but  little  leisure  for  the 
indulgence  of  my  characteristic  proclivities. 

"  I  am  not  able  to  send  you  my  picture,  as  I  have  never 
found  an  artist  who  was  willing  to  risk  his  instruments 
upon  me.  I  shall,  therefore,  be  obliged  to  content 
myself  with  a  brief  verbal  description,  viz.:  Age,  29 
past ;  height,  6  feet  3%  inches,  in  stockings ;  weight,  in 
ordinary  working  trim,  255  Ibs.;  complexion,  dark  ;  eyes, 
black  ;  hair  and  beard,  dark  brown,  full,  and  wavy;  nose, 
slightly  aquiline  ;  digestion  good,  and  health  robust. 


Correspondence.  143 

"  My  disposition  corresponds  with  my  physique,  and 
I  am  always  good-natured  and  indulgent,  and  never 
suffer  myself  to  be  irritated  or  disturbed  by  any  small 
thing.  I  am  sorry  that  I  am  compelled  to  decline  your 
generous  offer,  but  I  could  not  accept  it  without  giving 
mortal  offense  to  numerous  friends  and  admirers  who 
have  tried  to  secure  my  services  heretofore.  I  regret 
this  the  more,  as  it  is  very  plain  that  you  are  an  appre- 
ciative and  discriminating  gentleman,  who  can  see  wit 
and  humor  where  no  one  else  would  discover  it,  and  it  is 
obvious  from  your  contempt  of  small  matters  that  you 
are  a  man  of  lofty  and  comprehensive  views,  and  have 
not  only  the  disposition,  but  the  ability,  to  carry  out  your 
liberal  ideas  regardless  of  expense,  as  the  patron  and 
promoter  of  humble  merit. 

"Thanking  you  for  your  kindness,  I  remain, 
"  Yours  sincerely, 

" ,  Cashier." 


From  the  Maine  Savings  Bank,  Portland,  comes  the 
following  : — 

One  morning  a  small,  ragged  and  ill-fed  Irish  boy 
presented  himself,  and  said  he  wished  to  draw  twenty- 
five  cents  ;  he  was  told  that  we  could  not  pay  him  less 
than  a  dollar  (as  per  our  by-laws) ;  he  gave  his  head  one 
or  two  tremendous  digs,  and  evidently  evolved  therefrom 
something,  but  what? 

Finally  he  said  he  would  take  the  dollar,  which  was 
accordingly  given  him  and  he  departed,  but  only  to  the 


144  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 

front  door-steps,  where,  carefully  selecting  the  brightest 
quarter  of  a  dollar  from  the  four  just  given  him,  he 
turned  and  again  appeared  at  the  teller's  desk,  where  he 
said  he  would  deposit  seventy-five  cents,  which  he  did. 

When  that  young  Irish  financier  presents  himself 
now  at  the  counter  for  the  purpose  of  drawing  money, 
more  or  less,  that  section  of  the  by-laws  that  says  no 
sums  of  less  than  one  dollar  shall  be  paid,  has  no  meaning 
for  him. 

The  future  of  that  little  Irish  boy  will  be  watched 
with  interest,  and  if  you  ever  issue  volume  2,  I  have  no 
doubt  but  what   he  will    furnish  another  story  of   his 
smartness,  and  which  I  will  report  (D.  V.). 
Fraternally  yours, 

STEPHEN  G.  ROGERS,  Treasurer. 

N.  B. — An  Irish  woman  once  told  me  she  wished  to 
deposit  some  money  for  her  niece,  Michael  Hogan. 


A  dry  thing  sometimes  finds  its  way  to  a  cashier's 
desk,  as,  for  instance,  this  reply  to  a  collection  of  ours  : 

"  Your  draft  for  mitten  bill  rec'd  ;  Mr.  Higgle  says, 
'  if  you  will  omit  exchange,  he  will  remit  as  soon  as  his 
exchequer  will  admit.'  Permit  me  to  advise  you  to  sub- 
mit to  such  deduction,  and  I  will  recommit  to  messenger 
as  ^wrcmittee  to  collect." 

What  sort  of  ear  must  that  ere  cashier  have  ?  Ought 
he  not  to  be  cashiered  or  e'er  it  be  too  late  ?  Can  he  be 
called  a  pundit  ? 

Says  another  cashier  : 


Correspondence.  1 4  5  - 

Our  messenger  presenting  a  draft  to  a  testy  resi- 
dent, was  told  to  "  take  it  to  h— 1."  We  were  compelled 
to  return  it  to  the  sender  as  unable  to  collect,  having  no 
correspondent  in  that  locality. 


SOFT    WORDS    FOR    BANK    DIRECTORS. 

Several  of  the  directors  of  the  New  York  Mechanics' 
and  Laborers'  Savings  Bank  (which  recently  suspended), 
have  received  an  anonymous  letter,  introduced  by  the 
skull  and  cross-bones  which  occupy  so  conspicuous  a 
place  in  Molly  Maguire  literature,  and  couched  in  the 
following  language : 

"  You  are  hereby  warned  to  make  good  the  money 
you  have  stolen,  or  I  will  coolly  drive  a  bullet  through 
you.  You  are  worse  than  the  thief  that  will  meet  a  man 
in  the  street  and  take  his  money.  I  could  protect  myself 
of  the  highwayman,  but  not  of  you.  You  are  a  sneak- 
thief  that  will  suffer  surely  if  you  do  not  come  down 
with  the  money.  Six  days  will  be  given  you  to  think. 
Beware !" 


TO  ALL  EDITORS  OF   ALL   NEWSPAPERS. 

My  Dear  Gentlemen  : — You  are  extremely  kind,  but 

let  me  entreat  you  to  desist.     I  am  so  tired.     Can't  you 

write  about  something  else  besides  finance  ?      Please  do. 

Woman  is  a  copious  theme,  and  the  weather  is  always  a 

7 


146  The  Bankers    Scrap-Book. 

•  • 

neat  and  handy  topic.  I  quite  agree  with  both  sides  of 
you.  Your  arguments  are  absolutely  unanswerable. 
There  ought  to  be  no  end  of  greenbacks  and  also 
nothing  but  gold.  Both  are  a  great  deal  better  than 
either.  You  have  convinced  me  of  this  so  often  that  I 
am  in  a  state  of  sublime  addle.  But  this  is  not  all.  I 
observe  with  anguish  and  alarm  that  the  more  you 
write  about  finance  the  less  there  is  of  finance.  Let  me 
beg  you  not  to  write  any  more.  If  you  do,  money  will 
totally  disappear.  Soon  the  surface  of  the  globe  will  be 
covered  with  able  editorials  two  feet  deep.  There  will 
not  be  a  dollar  on  earth,  nor  a  living  man,  and  the 
epitaph  of  the  human  race  will  be,  "  Died  of  finance  on 
the  brain,  without  a  solitary  red." 

I  am,  dear  gentlemen,  your  suffering  servant, 

G.  WASH.  MEEKINS,  M.  D. 


NASBY  ON  GREENBACKISM. 

"  This  money  ain't  never  to  be  redeemed.  It  will  go 
on  and  on  forever.  When  a  bill  gets  old,  yoo  kin  go 
and  exchange  it  for  a  new  one,  and  that  for  another  new 
one.  The  people  will  be  obleeged  to  take  it,  for  it  will 
be  legle-tender,  and  it  can't  help  makin  money  plenty, 
wich  is  wat  we  want  now.  Pay  !  never  !  Ef  we  are  a 
goin  to  pay  we  mite  be  benefitted  for  a  time,  but  it  wood 
be  but  temprary.  We  want  permanent  finanshel  relief, 
suthin  that  will  last.  A  unlimitid  ishoo  uv  money  and  a 


Correspondence.  147 

libral    system   uv  internal  improvements  to  git  it  into 
cirkelashen  is  wat  we  want  now." 

Issaker  was  satisfied,  and  to-morrow  nite  we  meet  to 
organize  the  "  Onlimited  Ishoo  and  Internel  Improve- 
ment League  uv  the  Cross-Roads." 

Our  rallying  cry  will  be,  "  Our  capassity  for  spendin 
money  must  be  ekel  to  our  capassity  for  perdoosin  it, 
and  both  must  be  onlimited."  We  shel  hev  good  times 
at  the  Corners  ez  soon  ez  the  Nationals  carry  a, congress, 
and  kin  git  to  work.  I  hev  developed  the  skeem  for 
em. 

PETROLEUM  V.  NASBY,  Finanseer. 


EX-TREASURER    SPINNER.— PLEASANT    REC- 
OLLECTIONS OF  HIS  EARLY  LIFE. 

[FROM  CORRESPONDENCE  OF  AMSTERDAM,  N.  Y.,  DEMOCRAT.] 

Frederick  E.  Spinner  was  born  in  the  town  of  Her- 
kimer,  some  seventy  years  ago.  At  the  age  of  seventeen 
he  removed  to  Amsterdam,  and,  after  a  short  apprentice- 
ship, entered  the  harness  shop  of  "  Uncle  David  "  De- 
Forest,  He  worked  for  him  for  some  time,  and  then 
went  into  partnership,  but  this  was  soon  dissolved.  He 
was  a  famous  reader  during  his  sojourn  in  Amsterdam, 
and  could  generally  be  found  reclining  in  some  shady 
nook  poring  over  some  literary  work.  History  was  his 
favorite,  and  he  always  remembered  everything  he  read. 
At  one  time  parties  sent  to  an  Albany  library  to  learn  as 


148  The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 

to  the  correct  version'  of  some  disputed  question,  but  in 
this  case,  as  always,  Spinner's  never-failing  memory  was 
found  to  be  right.  He  used  to  annoy  Mr.  DeForest 
terribly  by  his  habit  of  sitting  up  late  at  night  reading, 
while  "Uncle  David  "vainly  sought  to  court  the  "drowsy 
god,"  until  at  last  "forbearance  ceased  to  be  a  virtue," 
and  a  well-aimed  pillow  would  generally  put  an  extin- 
guisher upon  both  the  candle  and  the  literary  flame. 
While  here  he  spent  a  great  deal  of  time  practicing  upon 
the  famous  autograph  which  has  figured  upon  so  many 
greenbacks,  and  furnished  to  quill-drivers  an  endless 
theme  for  witticisms.  Mr.  DeForest  remembers  to  have 
seen  two  hundred  sheets  of  foolscap  upon  which  Spinner 
had  scribbled  his  inimitable  signature.  By  assiduous 
practice  he  acquired  a  species  of  hieroglyphic,  which 
ho  forger  has  ever  been  found  rash  enough  to  wrestle 
with.  After  the  dissolution  of  the  partnership  with  Mr. 
DeForest,  Mr.  Spinner  returned  to  Herkimer,  and  soon 
showed  his  enterprising  nature  by  advocating  the  pav- 
ing and  flagging  of  the  streets,  which  were  then  in  de- 
plorable condition.  He  carried  out  the  measure  in  spite 
.of  determined  opposition,  and  the  village  soon  wore  a 
new  and  improved  aspect.  Of  this  improvement  Mr. 
Spinner  said,  that  "  while  it  was  being  carried  out  no 
man  in  town  had  so  many  enemies,  but  when  it  was  fin- 
ished no  one  had  so  many  friends."  Soon  after  Mr. 
Spinner  was  "prominently  mentioned"  for  the  position 
of  Sheriff  of  Herkimer  county  ;  but  a  certain  old  citizen 
named  Bellinger  was  determined  to  have  the  honor  of 
the  office  without  any  of  the  duties  incumbent  upon  it. 


Correspondence.  149 

Consequently,  an  arrangement-  was  agreed  upon  by 
which  Bellinger  was  elected  sheriff  in  name,  while  Spin- 
ner performed  all  the  duties.  When  the  Insane  Asylum 
was  being  built,  Mr.  Spinner  was  one  of  the  overseers  of 
the  work,  and  while  engaged  in  the  duty  unwittingly 
gave  offense  to  Gov.  Seward,  and  was  soon  after  allowed 
a  vacation  for  an  indefinite  period  of  time.  Presently 
he  was  heard  from  as  the  Republican  candidate  for  Con- 
gress from  the  Herkimer  district,  and  was  triumphantly 
elected,  changing  a  district  usually  sure  for  1,600  Demo- 
cratic majority  to  1,500  Republican.  He  served  his  term 
in  Congress  with  credit,  and  at  its  close  applied  to  Pres- 
ident Lincoln  for  a  modest  naval  berth,  but  was  informed 
that  something  better  was  in  store  for  him,  and  was  soon 
after  appointed  Treasurer  of  the  United  States.  At  the 
close  of  his  term  he  returned  to  Mohawk,  and  there  met 
again  the  friend  and  partner  of  his  youthful  days,  whom- 
he  had  not  seen  in  fifty-four  years.  Mr.  De  Forest  re- 
calls, with  great  satisfaction,  this  pleasant  reunion.  Mr. 
Spinner  gave  his  old  friend  a  hearty  welcome,  and  they 
spent  a  happy  hour  together,  living  old  times  over 

again. 

« 

THE  OLDEST  REPORT.— A  FRAGMENT. 

The  trustees  of  the  first  Savings  Bank  organized  in 
New  York  watched  the  general  results  of  the  new  in- 
stitution with  much  interest.  After  only  six  months  of 
operation,  the  first  report  contained  the  following  en- 
couraging statement,  as  true  now  as  then  : 


150  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 

"  He  who  has  learned  to  be  economical  has  first  gotten 
rid  of  pernicious  modes  of  spending  money.  Every 
time  he  adds  to  his  amount  he  has  an  additional  motive 
for  perseverance.  In  the  provision  he  is  making  for  the 
future  is  associated  all  which  can  gratify  him  as  a  father, 
a  husband,  a  guardian  or  friend.  The  talent  which 
heaven  has  committed  to  his  care  he  improves  for  the 
objects  of  his' affection  ;  this  again  endears  them  to  him, 
and  thus  the  sum  of  human  happiness  is  increased  and 
extended.  It  is  impossible  for  men  continuing  to  act  on 
such  principles  to  be  immoral. 

"  The  trustees  are  glad  to  report,  that  the  habit  of 
saving  among  the  depositors  becomes  very  soon  not  only 
delightful  but  permanent.  Those  who  have  brought 
their  one  dollar  are  anxious  to  increase  it  to  five,  and  so 
on." 

Then  follows,  in  this  first  Savings  Bank  report,  a 
number  of  practical  examples  showing  plainly  enough 
the  great  good  the  system  was  destined  to  accomplish. 


"  Give  me  six  lines  of  a  man's  handwriting,  and  I 
can  hang  him,"  said  Talleyrand,  years  ago.  Ben  Butler 
constructed  a  similar  apothegm  when  he  said  he  would 
rather  go  five  hundred  miles  to  see  a  man,  than  to  write 
him  a  letter  ;  and  yet  indiscreet  folks  will  continue  to 
write  dangerous  letters  that  are  afterwards  found  in 
trunks  and  published  in  the  newspapers. 


MATTERS   OF   INTEREST. 


A    MORTGAGE. 

IN  the  whole  range  of  sacred  and  profane  literature, 
perhaps  there  is  nothing  recorded  which  has  such  stay- 
ing properties  as  a  good  healthy  mortgage.  A  mortgage 
can  be  depended  on  to  stick  closer  than  a  brother.  It 
has  a  mission  to  perform  which  never  lets  up.  Day 
after  day  it  is  right  there,  nor  does  the  slightest  tendency 
to  slumber  impair  its  vigor  in  the  night.  Night  and 
day,  on  the  Sabbath,  and  at  holiday  times,  without  a 
moment's  rest  for  sickness  or  recreation,  the  biting  off- 
spring of  its  existence,  interest,  goes  on.  The  seasons 
may  change,  days  run  into  weeks,  weeks  into  months, 
and  months  be  swallowed  up  into  the  gray  man  of  ad- 
vancing years,  but  that  mortgage  stands  up  in  steepful 
vigilance,  with  the  interest,  a  perennial  stream,  cease- 
lessly running  on.  Like  a  huge  nightmare  eating  out 
the  sleep  of  some  restless  slumberer,  the  unpaid  mort- 
gage rears  up  its  gaunt  front  in  perpetual  torment  to 
the  miserable  wight  who  is  held  within  its  pitiless  clutch. 
It  holds  the  poor  victims  with  the  relentless  grasp  of  a 
giant ;  not  one  hour  of  recreation  ;  not  a  moment's  eva- 
sion of  its  hideous  presence.  A  genial  savage  of  mollify- 
ing aspect  while  the  interest  is  paid  ;  a  very  devil  of 
hopeless  destruction  when  the  payments  fail. 
[151] 


152  The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 

A    CURIOUS    PUZZLE. 

Here  is  something  to  scratch  your  head  over.  A 
very  curious  number  is  142,857,  which,  multiplied  by  i, 
2>  3>  4>  5>  or  6,  gives  the  same  figures  in  the  same  order, 
beginning  at  a  different  point,  but  if  multiplied  by  7 
gives  all  nines  : 

142,857x1  =  142,857 

142,857x2  =  285,714 

142,857x3=4^8,571 

142,857x4=571,428 

142,857x5  =  714,285 

142,857x6=857,142 

142,857x7=999,999 

Multiply  142,857  by  8,  and  you  have  1,142,856.  Then 
add  the  first  figure  to  the  last,  and  you  have  142,857,  the 
original  number,  with  figures  exactly  the  same  as  at  the 
start 


HOW    INTEREST    EATS. 

One  dollar,  loaned  for  one  hundred  years,  at  6  per 
cent.,  with  interest  annually  collected  and  added  to  prin- 
cipal, will  amount  to  $340. 

At  8  per  cent,  it  amounts  to  $2,203,  or  about  seven 
times  as  much. 

At  3  per  cent,  it  amounts  to  $19.25. 

At  10  per  cent,  it  amounts  to  $13,809,  or  seven  hun- 
dred times  as  much. 


Matters  of  Interest.  153 

At  12  per  cent,  it  amounts  to  $84,075,  or  four  thou- 
sand times  as  much. 

At  18  per  cent,  it  amounts  to  $15,145,007  ;  and  at 
"two  per  cent,  a  month,"  it  yields  the,  enormous  sum  of 

$2,55I>799>4°4- 

Borrowers  will  consult  this  item,  and  choose  such 
rate  as  they  deem  themselves  best  able  to  stand.  Surely, 
"he  who  goes  a-borrowing,  goes  a-sorrowing." 

Fifty  years  use  of  $100,  at  6  per  cent.,  compounded 
annually,  gives  the  amount  of  $1,842.  And  the  same,  at 
8  per  cent.,  is  4,890.  And  $1,000,  compounded  annually 
at  10  per  cent.,  runs  up  in  fifty  years  to  the  snug  fortune 
of  $117,390. 


Lend  not  beyond  thy  ability,  nor  refuse  to  lend  out 
of  thy  ability  ;  especially  when  it  will  help  others  more 
than  it  can  hurt  thee.  If  thy  debtor  be  honest  and  capa- 
ble, thou  hast  thy  money  again,  if  not  with  increase,  with 
praise.  If  he  prove  insolvent,  do  not  ruin  him  to  get 
that  which  it  will  not  ruin  thee  to  lose  ;  for  thou  art  but 
a  steward,  and  another  is  thy  owner,  master  and  judge. 

WILLIAM  PENN. 


COMPOUND    INTEREST. 

It  has  been   supposed  here  that  had  America  been 
purchased    in    1607    for   $i,   and   payment    secured    by 
bond,  payable,  with  interest  annually  compounded,  in 
7* 


154  The  Bankers    Scrap-Book. 

1876  at  10  per  cent.,  the  amount  would  be — I  have  not 
verified  the  calculation — the  very  snug  little  sum  of 
$136,000,000,000  ;  five  times  as  much  as  the  country  will 
sell  for  to-day.  Capt.  Smith  or  Newport,  whichever  it 
was,  has  therefore  been  ruined,  or  would  have  been,  if 
he  had  run  in  debt  a  dollar  for  this  continent. 

It  is  very  much  like  supposing  that  if  Adam  and  Eve 
had  continued  to  multiply  and  replenish  once  in  two 
years  until  the  present  time,  and  all  their  descendants 
had  lived  and  had  been  equally  prolific,  then,  saying 
nothing  about  twins  and  triplets,  there  would  now  be 
actually  alive  upon  the  earth  a  quantity  of  human  beings 
in  solid  measure  more  than  thirteen  and  one-fourth 
times  the  bulk  of  the  entire  planet ;  and  if  all  these  peo- 
ple had  been  thrifty,  and  saved  one  cent  a  year  and 
invested  it  at  10  per  cent,  compound  interest,  the  amount 
in  currency  at  eighty-eight  cents  in  gold  would  buy  not 
only  all  the  real  estate  there  is  in  this  world,  but  ten 
times  as  much  as  there  is  in  the  universe,  at  double  the 
government  price  for  public  lands,  and  leave  enough  to 
do  the  entire  sewerage  for  the  main  streets  connecting 
the  fixed  stars,  and  to  pave  the  milky  way  with  well-cut 
diamonds  of  the  first  waier,  nine  feet  cube,  three  thou- 
sand miles  wide  (including  sidewalks  to  be  made  of  con- 
densed rainbows,  three  billions  to  the  square  yard),  and 
a  distance  of  996,834,329,648,196,314,983  thousand  million 
billion  trillion  miles  long.  And  I  believe  there  would 
be  considerable  left  in  bank  even  then. 

— Speech  in  Congress. 


Matters  of  Interest.  155 

BEST  INTEREST  RULE. 

FOR  TWELVE  PER  CENT. 

Multiply  the  principal  by  one-third  the  number  of 
days,  thus  :  (Decimal  points  omitted.) 

For  34  days,  multiply  by     .11 J 
64      "  "          "      .21  i 

94      "  "          "      -31! 

FOR  NINE  PER  CENT. 

Multiply  the  principal  by  one-fourth  the  number  of 
days,  thus : 

For  34  days,  multiply  by    .85 
64      "  "          "      .16 

94      "  "          "      .235 

For  other  notes,  take  fractional  parts  of  result  by 
above  rules. 

FOR   EXAMPLE  : 

Find  Interest  64  days  on  $840,  at  12  per  cent 
840  =  product  by  i 
1680  =        '         "2 
18  =        "        " 


$17.92=        "        "    21  i    Ans. 


ONE  THING  THAT  AN  APE  CAN  DO. 

The  Siamese  ape  is  stated  to  be  in  great  request 
among  native  merchants  as  a  cashier  in  their  counting- 
houses.  Vast  quantities  of  base  coin  obtain  circula- 


156  The  Bankers    Scrap-Book. 

tion  in  Siam,  and  the  faculty  of  discriminating  between 
good  money  and  bad  appears  to  be  possessed  by  these 
gifted  monkeys  in  such  an  extraordinary  degree  of  de- 
velopment that  no  human  being,  however  carefully 
trained,  can  compete  with  them.  The  cashier  ape  puts 
into  his  mouth  each  coin  presented  to  him  in  business 
payments,  and  tests  it  with  grave  deliberation.  If  it  be 
genuine,  he  hands  it  to  his  master ;  if  counterfeit,  he  sets 
it  down  before  him  with  a  solemn  grimace  of  dis- 
pleasure. His  method  of  testing  is  regarded  in  com- 
mercial circles  as  infallible. 


EIGHT  PER  CENT.  PER  MONTH. 

A  singular  instance  of  human  credulity  is  reported 
from  Munich.  The  actress,  Adele  Spitzeder,  who  was 
sentenced  there  about  six  years  ago  to  a  term  of  im- 
prisonment for  having  swindled  the  public  out  of 
many  millions  by  her  banking  institution,  the  Dachauer 
Banken,  conducted,  as  she  asserted,  for  the  furtherance 
of  the  interests  of  the  Roman  Catholic  religion,  tried 
again  after  her  liberation  from  prison  to  earn  a  living 
on  the  stage.  Finding  that  this  could  not  be  done,  she 
has  returned  to  Munich  and  again  opened  a  bank.  De- 
posits, on  which  she  pays  eight  per  cent,  monthly 
interest,  are  brought  to  her  in  abundance,  and,  of  course, 
another  catastrophe  will  occur  in  time. 


Matters  of  Interest.  157 


FIAT   MONEY. 

During  the  fierce  and  universal  discussion  of  the 
"  unlimited  greenback  "  question,  which  so  recently  dis- 
turbed everybody,  the  absurdities  of  an  unredeemable 
currency  were  well  put  in  a  few  tons  of  Fiat  Money. 
We  have  heard  of  no  banks  issuing  that  particular  kind 
of  money,  but  some  thousands  of  people  were  earnest 
advocates  of  a  circulation  very  like  it. 


WORTH  REMEMBERING. 

The  advantages  of  Savings  Banks  to  depositors  and 
their  families  cannot  be  fitly  described  in  words.  For 
who  can  measure  the  want  and  suffering  relieved  in  dark 
days  of  trouble — the  increased  industry,  thrift  and  inde- 
pendence which  the  habit  of  saving  promotes — how 
much  temptation  to  idleness,  sensual  indulgence,  vice 
and  crime  prevented — how  much  greater  the  pay,  and 
much  steadier  the  demand  for  the  superior  and  reliable 
labor  or  services  of  a  sober,  intelligent  and  sturdy  work- 
man— how  the  standard  of  thrift  and  economy  in  wife 
and  daughters  is  raised — how  much  more  decent  and 
decorous  in  dress  and  manner  all  the  members  of  the 
family — how  they  rise,  insensibly  to  themselves,  it  may 
be,  in  the  respect  and  confidence  of  the  best  classes  in 
their  neighborhood — how  much  oftener  in  church  or 
lecture-room  or  at  the  circulating  library — how  much 
prompter  at  school,  and  how  marvelous  the  progress — 


158  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 

how  all  the  blessings  of  this  life  cluster  around  such  a 
household — how  happy  marriages,  future  honors,  for- 
tune, friends,  usefulness,  happiness  greet  the  manhood 
and  womanhood  of  the  Savings  Bank  depositor's  chil- 
dren when  his  work  is  over — and  how  brighter  the  pros- 
pect for  such  a  family  when  their  serious  thoughts  stretch 
off  to  the  life  to  come. — B.  R.  in  the  Safeguard,  1874. 


USURY   AND    INTEREST. 

The  word  "  Interest  "  appears  first  in  an  act  of  Parlia- 
ment of  the  2ist  James  I.,  1623,  wherein  it  was  made  to 
signify  a  lawful  increase  by  way  of  compensation  for 
money  lent.  The  rate  fixed  by  the  act  was  ^8  for  the 
use  of  ;£ioo  for  a  year,  in  place  of  usury  at  ;£io,  before 
taken.  The  rate  was  lowered  to  £6  in  1650  ;  and  by  an 
act  of  the  i3th  of  Queen  Anne,  1713,  it  was  reduced  to 
^5.  The  restraint  being  found  prejudicial  to  commerce, 
it  was  totally  removed  by  Victoria  (1854).  Until  the 
i5th  century,  no  Christians  were  allowed  to  receive 
interest  on  money,  and  Jews  were  the  only  usurers,  and 
therefore  often  banished  and  persecuted.  In  1262  there 
were  700  Jews  slain  in  London — a  Jew  having  forced  a 
Christian  to  pay  him  more  than  2s.  per  week,  as  interest 
on  a  loan  of  zos.  In  1274,  every  Jew  lending  money  on 
interest  was  compelled  to  wear  a  plate  on  his  breast,  sig- 
nifying that  he  was  a  usurer,  or  quit  the  realm  ;  and 
four  years  later  267  Jews  were  hanged  and  quartered  for 
clipping  English  coin. 


COUNTERFEITS  AND    ROGUES. 


ORIENTAL  BOGUS. 

AN  ingenious  case  of  counterfeiting  coin  was  recently 
discovered  at  Hoshungabad,  in  India.  Natives,  when 
testing  mohurs,  or  other  gold  coin,  generally  take  them 
to  a  jeweler  to  have  a  hole  drilled  half  way  through 
them,  for  the  purpose  of  seeing  that  they  are  of  genuine 
metal.  The  coiner,  a  jeweler  by  trade,  manufactured 
silver  imitations  of  gold  mohurs,  and  having  drilled  two 
or  three  holes  half  way  through  them,  to  make  it  appear 
that  they  had  been  as  often  tested,  thickly  gilded  them 
over.  By  these  means  he  for  some  time  imposed  even 
on  members  of  his  own  craft,  till  one,  more  wily  than 
the  others,  proceeded  to  test  some  of  the  counterfeit 
coins  for  himself. 


A  CLEVER  CHEAT. 

[HOW  A  SIMPLE-HEARTED  MAN  WAS  TAKEN  IK.] 

In  Francis'  "  History  of  the  Bank  of  England  "  the 
following  story  is  told  : 

In  1780  a  gentleman  of  eminence  in  the  mercantile 

world  was  grieved  by  the  contents  of  a  letter  which  he 
[159] 


160  The  Bankers    Scrap-Book. 

received  from  a  correspondent  at  Hamburg,  the  post- 
mark of  which  it  bore.  From  the  statement  it  contained, 
it  appears  that  a  person,  most  minutely  described,  had 
defrauded  the  writer  under  extraordinary  circumstances, 
of  ^3,000.  The  letter  continued  to  say  information  had 
been  obtained  that  the  defrauder — the  dress  and  person 
of  whom  it  described — was  occasionally  to  be  seen  at  the 
Dutch  Walk  of  the  Royal  Exchange.  The  object  of  the 
writer  was  to  inform  his  correspondent  to  invite  the 
party  to  dinner,  and,  by  any  moral  force  which  could  be 
used,  compel  him  to  return  the  money,  adding  that,  if  he 
should  be  found  amenable  to  reason,  and  evince  any 
signs  of  repentance,  he  might  be  dismissed  with  a 
friendly  caution  and  ^500,  as  he  was  a  near  relative  of 
the  writer.  As  the  gentleman  whose  name  it  bore  was  a 
profitable  correspondent,  the  London  merchant  kept  a 
keen  watch  on  the  Dutch  Walk,  and  was  at  last  success- 
ful in  meeting  and  being  introduced  to  the  cheat. 

The  invitation  to  dine  was  accepted,  and  the  host, 
having  previously  given  notice  to  his  family  to  quit  the 
table  soon  after  dinner,  acquainted  the  visitor  with  his 
knowledge  of  the  fraud.  Alarm  and  horror  were  de- 
picted in  the  countenance  of  the  young  man,  who,  with 
tones  apparently  tremulous  from  emotion,  begged  that 
his  disgrace  might  not  be  made  public.  To  this  the 
merchant  consented,  provided  the  ,£3,000  were  returned. 
The  visitor  sighed  deeply,  but  said  that  to  return  all  was 
impossible,  as  he  had  unfortunately  spent  part  of  the 
amount.  The  remainder,  however,  he  proposed  to  yield 
instantly,  and  the  notes  were  handed  to  the  merchant, 


Counterfeits  and  Rogues.  161 

who,  after  dilating  on  the  goodness  of  the  man  he  had 
robbed,  concluded  his  moral  lesson  by  handing  over  a 
check  for  ^500,  as  a  proof  of  his  beneficence.  The  fol- 
lowing morning  the  gentleman  went  to  the  banker  to 
deposit  the  money  he  had  received,  when,  to  his  great 
surprise,  he  was  told  that  the  notes  were  counterfeit. 
His  next  inquiries  were  concerning  the  check,  but  that 
had  been  cashed  shortly  after  the  opening  of  the  bank. 
He  immediately  sent  an  express  to  his  Hamburg  corre- 
spondent, who  replied  that  the  letter  was  a  forgery,  and* 
that  no  fraud  had  been  committed  upon  him.  The  whole 
affair  had  been  plotted  by  a  gang,  some  of  whom  were 
on  the  Continent  and  some  in  England. 


A  PLUCKY  CASHIER. 

PITTSBURGH,  PA.,  April  30,  1878. — A  bold  but  unsuc- 
cessful attempt  was  made  to-day  to  rob  the  Working- 
men's  Savings  Bank,  on  Ohio  street,  Alleghany.  The 
book-keeper  of  the  bank  had  gone  to  dinner,  leaving  the 
cashier,  George  L.  Walker,  alone.  Two  men  entered 
the  bank  and  one  of  them,  advancing  to  the  rear  counter, 
asked  silver  for  a  dollar  bill,  and  when  the  cashier  ad- 
vanced with  the  change  in  his  hand,  he  was  confronted 
with  a  cocked  revolver  and  told  to  make  no  noise  or  he 
would  be  shot.  Dropping  the  silver,  Walker  seized  the 
revolver  and  succeeded  in  wrenching  it  from  his  assail- 
ants, who  then  clambered  up  and  got  inside  and  were 
reaching  for  money  on  the  counter  when  Walker  opened 


1 62  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 

fire  on  him,  firing  two  shots  at  him  and  also  two  at  the 
other  robber,  who  in  the  meantime  had  climbed  over  the 
front  counter  and  was  advancing  to  the  rear  of  the  room. 
The  strangers  were  dismayed  by  their  warlike  reception 
and  then  fled  and  have  not  yet  been  arrested.  The  bank 
sustained  no  loss. 


A  CLEVER  SWINDLE. 

A  young  man  named  E.  J.  Murphy  called  on  the 
banking  house  of  Henry  Clews  &  Co.,  New  York,  a 
week  ago  and  inquired  about  the  price  of  bonds.  Mon- 
day he  called  again  and  bought  two  $1,000  four  per 
cent,  coupon  bonds  and  one  $500  four  per  cent.  bond. 
He  gave  in  payment  a  draft  for  $2,540,  drawn  by  the 
Commercial  National  Bank  of  Chicago  on  the  Bank  of 
New  York,  dated  February  27, 1879,  payable  to  the  order 
of  Henry  Clews  &  Co.  The  firm  sent  the  draft  to  the 
Bank  of  New  York  for  an  indorsement  of  the  certifica- 
tion. The  teller  said  it  was  all  right,  and  Murphy 
carried  off  his  bonds.  Tuesday  the  clearing-house  sent 
back  the  draft  as  all  wrong.  It  was  originally  a  draft 
for  $254,  but  a  cipher  had  been  added  and  the  date 
changed.  A  reward  of  $1,000  has  been  offered  for 

Murphy's  capture. 

» 

BOLD  ROBBERY  IN  A  BANK. 

A  very  bold  robbery  was  committed  yesterday  after- 
noon at  the  Mechanics'  Bank,  corner  of  Fulton  and 


Counterfeits  and  Rogues.  163 

Montague  streets,  Brooklyn.  It  seems  that  Mr.  A.  H. 
Howe,  a  coal  and  wood  dealer,  entered  the  bank  for  the 
purpose  of  depositing  $362  in  bills.  After  counting  the 
money,  he  approached  the  teller's  desk,  and  laying  the 
money  on  the  little  glass  slab  in  front,  placed  his  ac- 
count-book on  it.  His  right  hand  rested  on  the  book. 
While  Mr.  Howe  stood  waiting  for  the  teller,  who  was 
engaged,  a  man  approached,  and,  standing  close  to  his 
left  shoulder,  held  out  a  check  on  the  Long  Island  Bank, 
asking  at  the  same  time  if  Mr.  Howe  knew  where  the 
bank  was.  The  latter  was  about  to  give  the  information 
when  he  felt  something  whiz  by  his  left  ear,  and  in 
almost  the  same  instant  the  stranger  who  had  asked  him 
about  the  check  disappeared  through  the  bank  door. 
Turning  to  the  little  window  in  front  of  the  teller  Mr. 
Howe  was  dumbfounded  to  find — although  his  hand  still 
rested  on  his  account  book,  and  he  had  not  felt  any  dis- 
turbance— that  the  money  was  gone.  When  he  recovered 
from  his  astonishment  sufficiently  to  tell  the  bank 
officers  that  he  had  been  robbed,  it  was  too  late  to  pursue 
the  thief  or  thieves,  if  there  were  more  than  one.  The 
police  are  making  every  effort  in  the  matter,  but  have 
very  little  in  the  way  of  a  clue  to  start  on. 


Yochantsoff,  cashier  of  the  Credit  Foncier  Bank,  of 
St.  Petersburg,  has  been  arrested  as  a  defaulter  to  the 
amount  of  $1,375,000.  It  is  gratifying  to  know  that 
defalcation  is  not  exclusively  confined  to  this  country. 


164  The  Bankers    Scrap-Book. 


THE   HEATHEN  CHINEE. 

It  is  said  that  the  Chinaman  is  incapable  of  civiliza- 
tion. Facts  disprove  this  assertion.  Ah  Chung  had 
been  working  in  San  Gabriel,  Cal.,  and  received  a  check 
for  $151.  The  figures  were  raised  by  Chung  to  $951, 
and  the  amount  was  paid  on  demand  at  the  Farmers'  and 
Merchants'  Bank  of  Los  Angeles.  No  trace  of  the 
Chinaman  has  since  been  discovered. 


DISGUSTED  WITH  MEN. 

A  well  known  bank  president  said,  on  hearing  of  the 
great  bank  robbery  at  Northampton  : 

"  I'm  sick  of  this  rascally  world.  Don't  want  to  see 
or  do  business  with  anybody.  I'd  rather  be  an  old 
farmer,  living  on  a  cross-road,  four  miles  from  the  sight 
of  everybody,  with  a  barrel  of  cider  and  two  hogs,  than 
to  have  anything  to  do  with  banks,  money  or  men." 


DOGS  PREFERRED. 

Said  a  Richmond  bank  president,  while  examining  a 
lot  of  finely-executed  counterfeit  currency,  "  What  a 
world  of  rascals  this  is,  to  be  sure !  The  more  I  see  of 
men  and  learn  of  their  damnable  villainy,  the  more  pro- 
found respect  and  love  I  have  for  dogs  !  " 


Counterfeits  and  Rogues.  165 


A    ROUSING    BURGLARY. 

[HOW   AN     ENTERPRISING    BUT     IMPRUDENT   TRIO   WAKED   UP   FISHKILL 
LANDING.] 

The  pretty  little  village  of  Fishkill  Landing,  on  the 
Hudson,  was  awakened  by  a  great  crash  at  about  2.30 
o'clock  yesterday  morning,  which  brought  the  inhabit- 
ants to  their  windows  and  to  the  streets  in  a  twinkling. 
They  saw  great  quantities  of  smoke  issuing  from  the 
counting-room  of  the  First  National  Bank — so  thick 
that  for  a  few  moments  no  one  could  enter  the  bank. 
When  it  cleared  away  a  few  of  the  villagers  went  in,  and 
found  almost  complete  ruin.  Burglars  had  been  at 
work,  and  in  trying  to  open  a  safe  with  powder  had 
literally  blown  it  to  pieces.  The  glass  in  the  front  win- 
dow of  the  bank  was  all  blown  out,  and  some  fragments 
were  thrown  seventy-five  feet  across  the  road,  landing 
on  the  piazza  of  the  Revere  House  opposite.  The  con- 
tents of  the  safe  were  thrown  about  in  wild  confusion  ; 
books,  papers,  and  pieces  of  discolored  silver  plate  and 
coin  covered  the  floor. 

Adjoining  the  banking-room,  and  separated  from  it 
by  only  a  thin  partition,  through  which  there  is  commu- 
nication by  an  ordinary  pine  door,  are  the  law  offices  of 
Mr.  John  F.  Schlosser,  Jr.  The  outer  door  of  this  office 
had  been  forced  by  a  jimmy,  and  so  the  burglars  gained 
admission  to  the  bank.  Two  safes  stood  before  them  ; 
one  a  new  Herring  safe,  fire  and  burglar  proof,  and  the 
other  a  safe  which  had  been  called  fire  and  burglar  proof 


1 66  The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 

about  fifteen  years  ago,  before  safe  robbers  became  so 
expert  as  some  safe  robbers  are,  and  some  are  not,  now. 
The  thieves  selected  the  old  safe,  which  contained  only 
the  books  of  the  bank,  some  valuable  papers  that  had 
been  left  by  the  bank's  customers  for  safe-keeping,  some 
silverware,  about  $70  worth  of  foreign  coin,  and  nearly 
$60  in  cents  and  five-cent  pieces. 

There  is  much  speculation  as  to  who  were  the  bold 
but  comic  burglars.  During  the  day  three  strangers 
entered  the  bank  half  a  dozen  times,  and  were  persistent 
in  their  efforts  to  sell  a  pair  of  daubs  of  oil  paintings. 
They  stayed  several  minutes  each  time,  would  not  take 
"no  "  for  an  answer,  and  insisted  upon  having  some  one 
make  them  an  offer,  and  it  is  thought  possible  that  dur- 
ing these  visits  they  were  watching  the  clerks,  and  tak- 
ing a  survey  of  the  interior  of  the  bank. 

— New  York  World,  Oct.  n,  1878. 


A    REMARKABLE    COUNTERFEIT. 

"The  sub-Treasury  Department  at  New  Orleans  have 
come  across  a  counterfeit  silver  quarter,  a  remarkable 
feature  about  which  is,  that  it  is  intrinsically  more  valu- 
able than  the  genuine  quarter  dollar.  According  to  Mr. 
M.  V.  Davis,  the  efficient  coiner  at  the  Mint,  to  whom  it 
was  sent  to  be  assayed,  it  weighs  978  grains,  or  135  above 
legal  weight,  and  contains  50  millimes  of  silver  above 
standard,  also  three  millimes  of  gold,  which  silver  coins 
do  not  contain,  except  in  rare  instances.  Mr.  James 


Counterfeits  and  Rogues.  167 

Albrecht,  the  assayer,  reports  that  its  fineness  is  .950 
silver,  and  .003  gold.  The  only  defect  in  the  piece  is  in 
the  engraving  of  the  words,  '  In  God  we  trust.'  The 
word  '  America'  is  abbreviated  to  '  Amea.,'  in  the  words, 
'United  States  America."  " 


A    DANGEROUS    BANK-NOTE. 

It  is  probable  that  Burns  vastly  exaggerated  the  ad- 
vantages of  seeing  ourselves  as  others  see  us.  The 
vision  is  often  amusing,  but  it  is  not  always  strictly 
veracious.  Other  people  and  other  nations,  though  they 
may  possess  a  gift  of  superior  impartiality,  sometimes 
lack  the  necessary  information,  and  on  such  occasions 
the  default  is  made  up  by  the  historic  use  of  the  imagina- 
tion. It  may  be  safely  said,  however,  that  our  own  view 
of  ourselves  is  scarcely  so  diverting  as  that  of  foreigners. 
English  history,  for  example,  to  be  really  comic,  should 
be  written  by  the  feuilletonist  of  a  Paris  journal,  and  the 
essays  of  the  late  Gilbert  a'Beckett  in  caricature-chroni- 
cle labored  in  vain  by  the  side  of  the  works  of  these 
humorous  students  of  British  manners  and  customs.  It 
would  be  worth  the  while  of  some  careful  editor  like 
Mr.  Timbs  to  collect  in  a  volume  the  many  curious 
things  that  have  been  said  of  us  by  our  French  neigh- 
bors, and  certainly  they  would  well  deserve  the  title  of 
"things  not  generally  known."  The  latest  contribution 
to  this  interesting  branch  of  literature  relates  a  highly 
important  fact  with  regard  to  the  Duke  of  Richmond. 
It  is  said  that  among  the  possessions  he  inherited  from 


1 68  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 

the  late  duke  was  found  a  bank-note  for  ^50,000.  This 
unique  piece  of  paper  money,  of  whose  existence  we 
have  no  doubt,  was  preserved  with  great  caution,  and 
by  means  which  must  have  been  a  source  .of  peril  to 
friends  and  foes.  We  are  informed  that  the  late  duke 
caused  the  note  to  be  deposited  in  a  casket,  and  this  cas- 
ket was  so  fastened  that  an)'-  one  who  attempted  to  han- 
dle it  at  once  received  six  pistol:shots.  The  ingenious 
casket,  we  are  told,  became  a  burdensome  possession  to 
the  present  duke.  His  ancestor  had  not  transmitted  to 
him  the  secret  by  which  it  might  be  opened  with  safety, 
and  he  was,  therefore,  not  unnaturally,  timid  in  the  ex- 
amination of  his  treasure.  Under  these  circumstances, 
we  are  not  surprised  to  learn  that  he  finally  determined 
to  deliver  the  casket  and  its  contents  to  the  Bank  of 
England,  and  to  permit  the  officers  of  that  establishment 
to  investigate  the  ingenuity  of  the  terrible  contrivance. 
The  duties  of  property  would  even  be  in  excess  of  its 
rights  if  every  inheritance  were  "tied  up  "  in  this  way. 


PRECOCITY. 

Forgery  is  becoming  so  fashionable  that  even  the 
children  engage  in  it.  In  Geneva,  New  York,  a  youth 
Of  sixteen  forged  his  father's  name,  recently,  to  a  check 
for  $1,024,  ar*d  drawing  the  money  ran  away  to  New  York 
to  spend  it.  After  his  money  was  all  spent  he  was 
arrested,  and  held  to  await  the  arrival  of  his  father,  who 
telegraphed  instructions  to  detain  him.  The  father 
ought  to  invent  a  more  difficult  signature,  or  have  the 
boy  locked  up. 


ov   BALTIMORE,   MD.,   THE  OLDEST  BANK  OFFICER  IN  THE    UNITED 
STATES. — Page  169. 


HISTORICAL   MEMORANDA. 

A    VETERAN    CASHIER. 

[SEE  FRONTISPIECE.] 

THE  present  cashier  of  the  National  Union  Bank  of 
Maryland  (Baltimore),  ROBERT  MICKLE,  Esq.,  is  believed 
to  be  the  oldest  bank  officer  in  the  United  States.  Born 
July  i,  1798,  he  entered  the  service  of  the  Union  Bank 
of  Maryland  in  September,  1819,  as  discount  clerk,  and 
in  1830  was  appointed  cashier,  which  position  he  has 
held  until  the  present  time.  So  rare  an  instance  of 
faithful  service  in  one  bank  is  well  worthy  of  permanent 
record.  During  his  sixty  years  of  banking  life,  what 
changes  and  rare  experiences  he  has  witnessed.  How 
few  of  his  early  customers  are  living  to-day  !  How 
changed  the  financial  affairs  of  the  country  !  Mr.  Mickle 
is  yet  hale  and  vigorous,  apparently  good  for  another 
decade  or  more  of  cashiership,  which  the  Scrap-Book 
devoutly  hopes  he  may  be  spared  to  enjoy,  until 

" like  a  clock  worn  out  with  eating  time 


The  wheels  of  weary  life  at  last  stand  still." 
8  [169] 


170  The  Bankers    Scrap  Book. 

Another  case  of  long-continued  service  in  one  bank, 
which  perhaps  is  almost  equally  remarkable,  is  that  of 
William  H.  Foster,  Esq.,  the  present  cashier  of  the 
Asiatic  National  Bank,  Salem,  Mass.,  who  commenced 
as  book-keeper  in  that  bank  in  May,  1824,  and  since  De- 
cember, 1834,  has  been  its  efficient  and  faithful  cashier. 


HON.  JOHN  SHERMAN, 

SECRETARY  OF  THE  TREASURY. 

The  Hon.  John  Sherman,  secretary  of  the  treasury, 
was  born  in  Lancaster,  Ohio,  May  10,  1823.  He  is  one 
of  a  large  family  of  children,  another  of  whom  is  Gen. 
W.  T.  Sherman,  and  his  father  was  Charles  T.  Sherman, 
at  that  time  judge  of  the  supreme  court  of  the  State. 
He  was  educated  for  the  law,  and  in  1844  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  and  practiced  in  his  native  State.  In  1848  he 
was  a  delegate  to  the  Whig  National  Convention  which 
met  in  Philadelphia,  June  7,  and  nominated  Zachary 
Taylor  for  president,  arid  Millard  Fillmore  for  vice- 
president,  and  in  1852  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  Baltimore 
Convention  of  the  same  party,  which  nominated  General 
Winfield  Scott  and  Wm.  A.  Graham,  of  North  Carolina, 
for  the  respective  offices.  Mr.  Sherman  was  elected  in 
1854  to  the  thirty-fourth  congress,  and  re-elected  in  1856 
and  1858.  In  the  thirty-sixth  congress  (1858)  he  was 
selected  by  the  republican  party,  as  candidate  for 
speaker.  He  was  again  chosen  in  1860  as  a  member  of 
the  thirty-seventh  congress,  but  in  1861  Hon.  Salmon  P. 


Historical   Memoranda.  171 

Chase  resigned  the  Senatorship  from  Ohio  to  become 
Mr.  Lincoln's  secretary  of  the  treasury,  and  Mr.  Sherman 
was  elected  to  fill  the  vacant  chair.  He  was  at  once 
made  a  member  of  the  committee  on  finance,  and  in  1864 
was  made  its  chairman,  and  so  continued  while  he  re- 
mained in  the  senate.  He  also  served  on  the  judiciary 
and  Pacific  R.  R.  committees.  In  1867  he  was  re-elected, 
and  he  received  a  similar  indorsement  at  the  hands  -of 
his  fellow-citizens  in  1873. 

Senator  Sherman  gave  an  earnest  support  to  the  war 
measures  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  cabinet,  and  his  thorough  prac- 
tical acquaintance  with  financial  matters  was  of  great 
service  to  the  government,  as,  from  his  position  at  the  head 
of  the  finance  committee,  which  he  retained  throughout, 
he  was  enabled  to  co-operate  actively  in  all  the  great 
financial  measures  necessitated  by  the  war.  On  the 
accession  to  office  of  President  Hayes,  March  4,  1877,  Mr. 
Sherman  was  presented  with  the  portfolio  of  secretary 
of  the  treasury,  and  the  fitness  of  the  appointment  was 
universally  recognized.  Under  his  administration  many 
important  financial  measures  have  been  carried  out,  the 
greenback  dollar  has  been  brought  to  par  with  gold,  the 
national  debt  has  been  reduced  by  many  millions,  and 
the  refunding  of  much  of  the  debt  at  four  and  four  and 
one-half  per  cent,  ha^s  effected  an  annual  saving  in  inter- 
est of  many  millions  more.  The  act  for  the  resumption 
of  specie  payments  had  no  more  resolute  champion  than 
the  subject  of  this  brief  sketch,  and  it  is  not  too  much  to 
say  that  his  financial  policy,  at  once  progressive  and 
conservative,  has  inspired  respect  and  confidence  in 


1 72  The  Bankers    Scrap-Book. 

American  government  securities  on  every  exchange  and 
bourse  in  the  civilized  world. 

— Chicago  Hankers'  Directory. 


A  NEW  ENGLAND  CASHIER  of  many  years'  experience 
sends  us  a  page  as  below.  The  Suffolk  Bank  item  will 
hit  a  familiar  spot  in  the  memory  of  the  older  bank  peo- 
ple. Happily,  our  almost  perfect  National  Bank  cur- 
rency has  done  away  with  such  little  tricks. 

HOW  THE  SUFFOLK  BANK    WAS  BEATEN  AT 
ITS  OWN  GAME. 

In  the  early  days  of  New  England  banks,  when  their 
notes  were  redeemed  only  at  their  own  counters,  the 
Boston  merchants  were  much  exercised  over  the  dis- 
count they  were  compelled  to  pay  on  the  notes  of  the 
country  banks  which  they  were  obliged  to  take  from 
their  customers. 

To  obviate  this  difficulty,  the  Suffolk  Bank  was  con- 
ceived and  organized,  and  the  New  England  banks,  out 
of  Boston,  were  very  pleasantly  invited  to  deposit  funds 
with  that  bank  for  the  redemption  of  their  notes.  If  the 
officers  of  any  bank  failed  to  accept  the  invitation,  they 
found,  some  fine  day,  a  representative  of  the  Suffolk 
Bank  at  their  counter,  with  a  pile  of  their  notes,  and  a 
polite  request  that  they  might  be  converted  into  specie.* 

*  NOTE. — This  system,  introduced  by  the  Suffolk  Bank,  is  the 
foundation  of  the  present  system  of  redemption  for  the  National 
Banks,  with  a  Central  Bureau  at  Washington. 


Historical   Memoranda.  173 

If  the  first  call  did  not  bring  them  into  subjection,  the 
second  or  third  was  pretty  sure  to,  and  deter  others  from 
following  their  example,  though  I  believe  there  were 
one  or  two  intractables. 

There  were,  at  that  time,  but  two  banks  in  the  city  of 
Hartford — the  Hartford  and  the  Phoenix  Banks,  with 
capital  of  about  a  million  and  a  quarter  dollars  each. 
They  were  willing  to  redeem  their  notes  in  Boston,  but 
were  not  willing  to  keep  a  balance  on  deposit  for  that 
purpose,  as  the  Suffolk  Bank  required. 

I  have  heard  the  late  Mr.  George  Beach,  then,  and 
for  many  years  after,  cashier,  and  subsequently  presi- 
dent of  the  Phoenix  Bank — a  sound  financier  and  a  noble 
man — relate  the  attempt  of  the  Suffolk  Bank  to  compel 
them  to  accede  to  its  terms. 

There  appeared,  one  day,  at  the  bank  in  Hartford,  a 
messenger  from  the  Suffolk  Bank,  with  a  large  package 
of  their  notes,  and  demanded  the  specie.  (This  was  in 
the  days  of  the  stage-coach,  when  railroads  were  not.) 

Mr.  Beach,  in  anticipation  of  this  visit,  had  provided 
himself,  from  New  York,  with  drafts  on  the  Suffolk  to  a 
large  amount.  So,  leaving  the  president  and  teller  to 
pay  out  the  specie  to  the  Suffolk  man,  he  started  at  once 
for  Boston,  to  present  his  drafts  before  the  messenger 
could  return  as  a  reinforcement.  Arrived  in  due  time, 
he  walked  into  the  bank  and  presented  to  the  teller  a 
draft  for  $5,000,  which  was  promptly  paid  in  coin,  when 
he  presented  a  second  draft  for  a  like  amount.  In  those 
primitive  days,  a  curtain  behind  the  counter,  dividing 
the  room,  served  to  form  the  directors'  room.  While 


174  The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 

the  teller  was  paying  the  second  draft,  first  one  person 
and  then  anpther  stepped  from  behind  the  curtain, 
looked* and  then  stepped  back  again. 

That  draft  being  paid,  he  presented  a  third,  for  a 
larger  amount.  This  was  followed  by  a  slight  commo- 
tion behind  the  curtain,  and  a  prolonged,  low  whistle 
gave  evidence  that  the  shot  told  pretty  effectually. 

He  was  finally  invited  into  the  "  directors'  room  ;" 
and  after  convincing  the  gentlemen  present  that  he  was 
still  well  supplied  with  ammunition,  a  truce  was  asked, 
resulting  in  an  agreement  that  the  Hartford  banks  might 
redeem  their  notes  in  Boston  in  their  own  way. 

Our  bank  (then  a  State  bank)  at  one  time  had  some 
small  bills  printed  on  thin  paper,  which  proved  to  be  of 
bad  quality,  doing  but  poor  service.  An  Irishman  pre- 
sented one  of  them,  from  which  a  third  or  more  was 
gone,  for  redemption.  I  asked  him  what  had  become 
of  the  other  part.  "  Sorra  a  bit  do  I  know,  your  honor," 
said  he,  "  an'  I  think  it  must  have  milted." 

A  countryman  came  into  the  bank  one  day  to  buy  a 
draft  to  send  to  a  woman,  giving  her  name.  Wishing  to 
put  a  handle  to  her  name,  he  was  asked  if  she  were  Miss, 
or  Mrs.  After  considering  the  question  a  moment,  he 
replied,  "  Oh,  Miss  ;•  she  is  a  widow." 


Historical  Memoranda.  175 


THE  NEWSBOYS'    SAVINGS  BANK. 

That  admirable  charity,  the  Children's  Aid  Society 
of  New  York,  has  a  banking  curiosity  worth  noticing,  at 
the  Newsboys'  Lodging  House,  corner  of  Duane  and 
New  Chambers  street.  It  is  a  bank  for  the  newsboys — a 
penny  bank  on  a  large  scale,  and  is  quite  unique.  It 
has  no  books,  no  stationery,  no  safe,  no  directors'  meet- 
ings ;  and  though  carried  on  for  twenty-five  years 
winding  up  its  affairs  and  beginning  anew  every  month, 
and  paying  the  ruinous  interest  of  five  per  cent,  per  month 
to  all  depositors,  there  have  been  no  losses,  no  failures 
and  no  embezzlements.  Nothing,  however,  could  be 
simpler  or  more  practical.  A  heavy  oak  table  by  the 
superintendent's  desk  in  the  large  assembly  room,  con- 
taining 150  or  more  boxes — one  for  each  lodger — and  a 
metal  cover  with  a  narrow  opening  for  coin  over  each  box, 
numbered  to  correspond  with  the  depositor's  register 
number,  constitutes  about  all  the  machinery.  The  only 
"  Rules  and  Regulations"  are — Deposit  any  amount  you 
please,  and  all  money  returned  at  end  of  the  month  with 
five  per  cent,  interest  added.  The  bank  open  for  pay- 
ments on  last  day  of  the  month  only.  This  Savings 
Bank  is  a  most  valuable  contrivance,  and  one  which  has 
materially  aided  many  boys  in  forming  habits  of  thrift. 

About  $3,000  is  now  deposited  every  year,  the  total 
amount  for  twenty-five  years  being  $44,909.13.  Many 
of  the  boys  deposit  their  monthly  pile  in  the  city  Sav- 


176 


The  Bankers    Scrap-Book. 


ings  Banks,  and  quite  a  number  have  thus  accumulated 
several  hundred  dollars  as  a  fund  to  start  in  life  with  ; 
while  thousands  of  these  little  waifs,  all  ready  to  become 
vagrants  and  tramps,  have  been  taught  by  this  little  bank 
how  to  become  self-sustaining  citizens.  All  honor  to 
the  wise,  benevolent  founders  of  the  Newsboys'  Bank  ! 


MAKING  DEPOSITS  IN  THE  NEWSBOYS*  BANK. 


Historical  Memoranda. 


177 


THREE  DOJLLAB.S 

fTTllS.  Bill  entitle*  it* 
•*•  Bearer  torec entThree 
SpanilH  milled  Dollars, 
or  the  Vakil  ..tlertqf  in 
G  oldtnrSilver,  according 
to  fie  Refolutions 
CONGRESS,  ffgia  a 
>,tAffiatb 


DOLLARS  OF  THE  DADDIES. 

The  Bank  Notes  of  our  forefathers  were  very  differ- 
ent looking  affairs  to  the  present  beautiful  specimens  of 
engraving  furnished  us  by  the  Government,  as  will  be 
seen  by  the  above  engraving.  They  were  printed  upon 
coarse  brown  paper  (having  silk  fiber  in  it,  similar  to 
that  in  use  now).  All  the  States  issued  paper  money, 
similar  in  appearance,  but  different  in  general  design, 
and  evinced  a  singular  unanimity  in  repudiating  their 
issues  when  the  time  for  payment  arrived,  Vermont 
alone  (not  then  admitted  into  the  Union)  redeeming  its 
8* 


178  The  Bankers    Scrap-Book. 

entire  issue  in  gold.  Catalogues  of  -all  the  issues,  with 
illustrations  of  the  various  notes,  are  published  in  cheap 
form  for  the  information  of  the  curious. 


NUMISMATIC  NOTES. 

Numismatics,  or  the  science  of  coin  study,  is  daily 
becoming  more  popular  among  all  classes  of  people  in 
this  country,  especially  since  the  resumption  of  specie 
payment  ;  some  use  it  for  historical  reminiscence  and 
information,  or  for  archaeological  illustration,  while 
some  collect  coins  merely  for  curiosity,  expressed  either 
in  their  age,  peculiar  fabric,  or  rarity  of  issue  ;  in  fact, 
it  is  similar  to  most  other  sciences  in  this  respect — they 
always  have  students  who  make  a  specialty  of  some  par- 
ticular branch. 

Coins  furnish  us  with  history  which  otherwise  would 
remain  buried  with  the  nations  we  had  no  record  of,  as 
in  the  case  of  the  Bactrian  series  of  coins  discovered  a 
few  years  ago,  which  revealed  to  us  the  fact  that  a  Greek 
Empire  had  existed  in  Central  Asia,  of  which  we  knew 
nothing  until  the  coins  were  unearthed. 


Our  illustration  is  of  the  Persian  Daric,  about  520  B. 
C.,  one  of  the  earliest  known  gold  and  silver  coins  ;  they 


Historical  Memoranda. 


179 


were  made  by  placing  a  lump  of  the  metal  on  a  die,  and  a 
punch  used  to  drive  the  metal  into  the  design,  the  punch- 
mark  being  the  only  reverse  for  the  coin  ;  the  obverse 
represents  the  Persian  conqueror  of  the  Colonial  Greeks, 
Darius  Hystaspes  (by  whom  these  were  struck)  kneeling 
with  a  bow  and  arrow.  These  pieces  are  rarely  found. 
The  metal  being  so  pure,  they  soon  wore  smooth,  leaving 
no  trace  of  design.  A  few  are  occasionally  offered  for 
sale  by  dealers. 


This  cut  represents  a  very  early  Tetradrachm  (or  six- 
drachm  piece)  of  Athens,  time  of  Pericles,  about  470  B. 
C.,  a  coin  which  circulated  in  a  greater  number  of  coun- 
tries than  any  other  money  of  the  ancients.  They  are  of 
fine  silver,  sometimes  quarter  inch  thick,  and  in  conse- 
quence vary  much  in  circumference.  Although  2,300 
years  old,  these  pieces  can  often  be  purchased  of  coin 
dealers  for  $5  or  $10,  but  rare  varieties  sell  much  higher. 
The  obverse  design  is  the  helmeted  head  of  the  Goddess 
Minerva,  the  local  deity  ;  on  the  reverse  is  an  owl  and 
a  sprig  of  olive,  both  sacred  to  Minerva,  probably  be- 
cause they  were  produced  in  abundance  in  the  vicinity 
of  Athens.  The  letters  A9E  indicate  the  name  of  the 
city. 


i8o 


The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 


This  is  a  coin  of  great  historical  value,  a  copper 
shekel  of  Simon  (Son  of  Gioras),  the  last  prince  and  de- 
fender of  Jerusalem,  who  was  defeated  and  captured  by 
the  Roman  Emperor  Titus,  at  the  destruction  of  Jerusa- 
lem ;  carried  to  Rome  and  exhibited  in  the  Temple  of 
Jupiter  Capitolinus,  then  executed  near  the  Forum. 
The  obverse  bears  a  palm  tree  with  bunches  of  dates 
hanging  from  the  branches,  "  SIMON,"  in  Hebrew  char- 
acters ;  reverse,  a  vine  leaf  and  inscription,  "  The  deliver- 
ance of  Jerusalem,  year  first."  This,  being  struck  in  70  A. 
D.,  is  consequently  the  last  coin  made  under  Jewish  au- 
thority. A  very  fine  specimen  has  lately  been  brought 
to  this  country. 

Many  numismatists  collect  only  the  United  States 
coins ;  of  these,  they  endeavor  to  make  a  complete 
series  ;  scarce  dates,  being  difficult  to  obtain,  sell  for  high 
prices  when  in  a  fine  state  of  preservation.  Many  cash- 
iers add  considerable  to  their  income  by  stopping  them 
in  circulation  and  selling  them  to  coin  dealers. 


Historical  Memoranda.  181 


SAVINGS  BANKS  IN  EUROPE. 

Savings  Banks  are  more  numerous  and  prosperous  in 
Great  Britain  than  in  any  other  European  country. 
Such  was  the  rapid  growth  of  the  banks  after  Parlia- 
ment made  them  a  subject  of  legislative  action  in  1817, 
that  the  total  amount  of  deposits  in  the  United  Kingdom 
was,  in  1829,  nearly  fourteen  and  a  half  million  pounds ; 
and  in  1858  there  were  over  one  million  depositors,  and 
thirty-six  million  pounds  on  deposit ;  and  at  the  present 
time  the  number  of  depositors  is  more  than  one  and  a 
half  million,  and  the  amount  of  deposits  forty-one  mil- 
lion pounds,  or  nearly  two  hundred  million  dollars. 
The  Post-Office  Savings  Banks,  organized  in  1863,  had 
in  1878  on  deposit  ^28,740,757. 


A  BIG  MONEY-CHEST. 

The  Bank  of  England  covers  five  acres,  and  employs 
nine  hundred  clerks.  It  has  no  windows  opening  on  the 
street.  Light  is  admitted  through  open  courts.  No 
mob  can  take  the  bank,  therefore,  without  cannon  to 
batter  the  immense  walls.  The  big  clock  in  the  center 
has  fifty  dials.  Large  cisterns  are  sunk  in  the  inner 
court,  and  engines,  in  perfect  order,  are  always  ready  in 
case  of  fire.  The  bank  was  incorporated  in  1694.  Cap- 
ital, $90,000,000. 


1 82  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 


SMALL  SAVINGS  AND  GREAT  RESULTS. 

When  everybody  was  speculating  on  the  bankruptcy 
of  France  at  the  close  of  the  war,  and  nobody  could  see 
how  or  where  she  could  borrow  a  thousand  millions  of 
dollars,  she  simply  solved  the  problem  by  drawing  her 
own  capital  from  her  foreign  Savings  Banks,  paying  the 
exorbitant  claims  of  Germany,  and  preserving  the 
country  from  ruin.  The  small  savings  which  the  frugal 
people  of  France  had  been  hoarding  in  foreign  Savings 
Banks  for  a  quarter  of  a  century,  constituted  the  real 
reserve  force  which  drove  the  German  invader  from  the 
soil.  This  capital  stock,  chiefly  belonging  to  her  hard- 
working citizens,  was  the  only  power  that  Von  Moltke 
and  the  "  Man  of  Blood  and  Iron "  were  unable  to 
resist. 


OLDEST  BILL  OF  EXCHANGE  IN  THE  WORLD. 

1325- 

The  oldest  copy  of  a  formal  bill  of  exchange  known 
to  be  in  existence  at  present,  is  one  dated  at  Milan,  on 
the  pth  of  March,  1325,  and  runs  in  the  original  as 
follows  : 

"  Pagate  per  questa  prima  litera  (lettera)  a  di  IX  Ot- 
tobre  a  Luca  do  Goro,  Lib.  XLV.  Sono  per  la  valuta 
qui  da  Marco  Reno,  al  tempo  il  pagate  e  poncte  a  mio 
conto  e  R.  che  Christo  vi  guarde  Bouromeo  de  Bouromei 
de  Milano,  IX.  de  Marzo,  1325."  Or,  in  English — 


Historical   Memoranda.  183 

"  Pay  for  this  first  bill  of  exchange,  on  the  pth  of 
October,  to  Luca  Goro,  45  livres  :  they  are  for  value  re- 
ceived here  from  Marco  Reno  :  at  the  time  of  maturity 
pay  the  same  to  my  account  thanking  you,  may  Christ 
protect  you,  Bouromeo  de  Bouromei  of  Milan,  the  9th 
of  March,  1325." 


UNCLAIMED  DEPOSITS. 

The  popular  impression  that  old  savings  banks  hold 
enormous  amounts  of  unclaimed  deposits  is  quite  erro- 
neous. The  president  of  the  Bowery  Savings  Bank, 
which  holds  deposits  of  over  $30,000,000,  and  which  has 
been  in  operation  for  forty-five  years,  testifies  that  the 
total  amount  so  held  in  his  institution  is  only  $14,900  ; 
while  in  all  the  New  York  savings  banks,  with,  say 
$250,000,000  deposits,  the  total  amount  unclaimed  for 
twejity  years  is  reported  to  the  State  superintendent  as 
but  $316,000. 


THE   WORLD'S  GREATEST   BANKER. 

Mayer  Anselm  Rothschild,  the  German  banker, 
whose  name  and  fame  are  world-wide,  has  done  and 
said  a  thousand  things  worthy  a  place  in  history. 

From  his  humble  Jewish  origin  he  rapidly  rose  to 
distinction  by  his  integrity  and  financial  ability,  until,  in 
1806,  William,  Elector  of  Hesse,  during  the  French  in- 
vasion of  his  States,  deposited  with  this  princely  banker 
about  $5,000,000  for  eight  years,  without  interest.  The 


184  The  Bankers    Scrap  Book. 

house  of  Rothschild,  however,  paid  two  per  cent, 
per  annum  upon  the  deposit,  and  in  1823  repaid  the 
entire  principal.  The  wise  handling  of  this  immense  sum 
was  the  source  of  the  colossal  fortune  of  the  Rothschilds. 

On  one  occasion,  to  Sir  Thomas  Buxton,  in  England, 
he  said,  "  My  success  has  always  turned  upon  one 
maxim.  I  said,  '/can  do  what  another  man  can,'  and  so 
I  am  a  match  for  all  the  rest  of  'em.  Another  advantage 
I  had  :  I  was  always  an  off-hand  man.  I  made  a  bargain 
at  once.  When  I  was  settled  in  London,  the  East  India 
Company  had  ^800,000  in  gold  to  sell.  I  went  to  the 
sale  and  bought  the  whole  of  it.  I  knew  the  Duke  of 
Wellington  must  have  it.  I  had  bought  a  great  many  of 
his  bills  at  a  discount.  The  government  sent  for  me, 
and  said  they  must  have  it.  When  they  had  got  it,  they 
didn't  know  how  to  get  it  to  Portugal,  where  they 
wanted  it.  I  undertook  all  that,  and  I  sent  it  through 
France ;  and  that  was  the  best  business  I  ever  did  in  my 
life. 

"It  requires  a  great  deal  of  boldness  and  a  great 
deal  of  caution  to  make  a  great  fortune,  and  when  you 
have  got  it,  it  requires  ten  times  as  much  wit  to  keep  it. 
If  I  were  to  listen  to  one-half  the  projects  proposed  to 
me,  I  should  ruin  myself  very  soon. 

"One  of  my  neighbors  is  a  very  ill-tempered  man. 
He  tries  to  vex  me,  and  has  built  a  great  place  for  swine 
close  to  my  walk.  So  when  I  go  out  I  hear  first  'grunt, 
grunt,'  then  '  squeak,  squeak.'  But  this  does  me  no 
harm.  I  am  always  in  good-humor.  Sometimes,  to 
amuse  myself,  I  give  a  beggar  a  guinea.  He  thinks  it  is 


Historical   Memoranda.  185 

a  mistake,  and  for  fear  I  should  find  it  out,  he  runs  away 
as  hard  as  he  can.  I  advise  you  to  give  a  beggar  a 
guinea  sometimes — it  is  very  amusing." 


ORIGIN  OF  SAVINGS  BANKS. 

Savings  banks  are  a  modern  institution.  The  first  is 
claimed  to  have  been  founded  at  Hamburg  in  1778,  but 
it  is  believed  the  first  regularly  chartered  bank  for  sav- 
ings was  organized  in  1804,  at  Tottenham  High  Cross, 
the  nucleus  thereof  being  the  "  Friendly  Society  for  the 
benefit  of  Women  and  Children,"  established  five  or  six 
years  previously  by  Mrs.  Priscilla  Wakefield.  In  1806, 
the  Provident  Institution  of  London  was  started.  In 
1810,  Rev.  Henry  Duncan,  minister  at  Ruthvvell,  Dum- 
friesshire, formed  the  first  savings  bank  in  Scotland,  and 
mainly  through  his  efforts  the  Edinburgh  Savings  Bank 
was  established  in  1814.  Dr.  Duncan  is  claimed  as  the 
founder  of  savings  banks,  because  he  devoted  an  immense 
amount  of  time  to  their  establishment,  originating  and 
organizing  the  first  self-sustaining  bank,  and  so  arrang- 
ing his  scheme  as  to  make  it  applicable  to  the  whole 
country.  The  government  of  Great  Britain  first  recog- 
nized these  institutions  in  1817.  The  first  savings  bank 
in  America  was  the  Provident  Institution  for  Savings, 
Boston,  chartered  December  13,  1816  ;  deposits  now,  $18,- 
647,754.  Next  came  the  Savings  Bank  of  Baltimore, 
chartered  December,  1818;  deposits  now,  $12,633,162: 
and  the  Philadelphia  Savings  Fund  Society,  incorpo- 


i86  TJic  Bankers    Scrap-Book. 

rated  February  25,  1819,  whose  deposits  now  are  $14,446,- 
207.72,  belonging  to  56,000  depositors. 


BRIEF   EXPLANATION    OF   BANKING. 

Old  Mr.  Lefevre,  father  of  the  former  speaker  of  the 
House  of  Commons,  and  the  principal  founder  of  the 
house  of  Curries  &  Co.,  illustrated  the  simple  theory  of 
banking  to  a  customer  one  day,  in  a  manner  rivaling 
the  best  treatises  on  that  subject.  The  customer  in 
question  was  one  of  those  men  who  find  it  very  conven- 
ient to  have  bad  memories,  and  very  tantalizing  at  times 
to  have  good  ones.  His  account  was  almost  always  over- 
drawn, and  whenever  spoken  to  on  the  hitch  thus  occa- 
sioned, his  answer  was  invariably  the  same — he  really 
had  forgotten  how'\\.  stood.  At  last  Mr.  Lefevre  watched 
his  opportunity,  caught  him  one  day  at  the  counter,  and 
said  to  him  : 

"  Mr.  Y ,  you  and  I  must  understand  one  another 

something  better  than  we  now  seem  to.  I  am  afraid  you 
don't  know  what  banking  really  is  ;  give  me  leave  to 
tell  you.  It's  my  business  to  take  care  of  your  money  ; 
but  I  find  you  are  always  taking  care  of  mine.  Now, 

that  is  not  banking,  Mr.  Y ;  it  must  be  the  other 

way.  I'm  the  banker,  not  you.  You  understand  me 
now,  Mr.  Y ,  I'm  sure  you  do  !" 


Historical   Memoranda.  187 


THE   UNITED   STATES    MINT. 

The  United  States  Mint  was  established  at  Philadel- 
phia by  Act  of  Congress,  April  2,  1792. 

The  first  money  coined  was  copper  cents,  in  1793. 
Silver  dollars  were  first  struck  in  1794,  and  the  gold 
eagle  in  1795.  Up  to  1816,  the  work  was  done  by  hand 
or  horse  power. 

The  original  building  was  on  Seventh  street  above 
Market.  The  present  marble  fire-proof  structure  on 
Chestnut  street,  below  Broad,  was  completed  in  1833. 

The  mint  is  open  to  visitors  daily  (except  Sundays) 
from  9  to  12  o'clock,  A.  M. 

Most  of  the  gold  now  received  here  comes  from  Mon- 
tana Territory,  the  California  gold  being  mostly  sent  to 
the  branch  Mint  at  San  Francisco.  Other  branch  Mints 
have  been  established  at  Carson  City,  Nevada,  and 
Denver,  Colorado.  There  are  also  assay  offices  at  Xew 
York,  Boise  City,  Idaho,  and  Charlotte,  N.  C.  A  number 
of  private  issues  of  coin  have  appeared  in  various  parts 
of  the  country,  notably  from  the  Bechtler  private  mint 
at  Rutherfordton,  N.  C.,  the  "Templeton  Reid  "  mint  in 
Georgia,  and  later  in  California,  and  several  private 
companies  in  California. 

The  principal  rooms  open  to  visitors  are  the  deposit 
or  weighing  room,  where  all  the  precious  metals 
are  received  and  weighed,  the  deposit  melting  room, 
where  the  metal  is  brought  in  locked  iron  boxes  after 
being  weighed,  and  is  here  mixed  with  borax  and 


1 88  The  Bankers    Scrap -Book. 

melted,  the  office  of  the  melter  and  refiner,  the  assay 
rooms,  the  rolling  room — where  a  number  of  sets  of 
"  rollers  "  driven  by  steam,  in  which  the  metal  strips  are 
reduced  to  the  coin  thickness,  are  noisily  working — and 
the  coining  room,  the  most  interesting  to  visitors.  In 
this  room  are  the  beautiful,  powerful  coining  presses, 
each  of  the  ten  machines  capable  of  producing  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  coins  per  minute,  though  seldom  run  at 
that  rate,  the  average  work  being  about  eighty  per 
minute.  The  press  stamps  both  sides  of  the  coin  with  a 
pressure  of  from  twenty  to  eighty  tons  at  each  revolution. 
They  are  attended  by  ladies.  In  the  second  story  is  the 
cabinet.  Here  are  to  be  seen  specimen  coins  of  all  the 
nations  of  the  world;  the  "widow's  mite"  of  the  New 
Testament,  coins  of  ancient  Greece  and  Rome,  and  a 
very  fine  collection  of  Chinese  and  Japanese  coins  ;  also 
hundreds  of  medals  commemorating  important  events  of 
nations  and  individuals.  The  present  superintendent  is 
Hon.  A.  Loudon  Snowden.  p. 


THE   NEW  YORK    CLEARING  HOUSE. 

The  banks  of  New  York  city  have  made  their  daily 
exchanges  through  the  New  York  Clearing  House  for 
twenty-six  years.  Previous  to  1853,  each  bank  exchanged 
checks  by  sending  its  porter  the  entire  round  of  the 
banks,  which  tedious  process  consumed  the  best  part  of 
the  day,  and  was  a  source  of  great  annoyance  in  many 
ways,  as  well  as  of  speculative  tricks  on  the  part  of  the 


a 
w 

W 
2 

-3 


SP  2 


Historical   Memoranda.  189 

weaker  banks,  many  of  which,  by  the  Friday  settlement 
plan,  managed  to  carry  a  credit  of  $2,000  or  $3,090  with 
each  of  thirty  or  more  banks,  and  so  got  a  fund  of 
$100,000  or  more  with  which  to  discount  bills. 

In  October,  1853,  the  present  perfect  Clearing  House 
system  was  adopted,  and  has  proved  a  great  blessing  to 
all  the  banks  ever  since.  The  entire  exchanges  of  all  the 
banks  for  the  day,  often  amounting  to  over  $100,000,000, 
are  now  made  in  six  minutes,  and  the  payment  of 
balances  consumes  but  a  half-hour  in  the  afternoon.  It 
is  the  best  proof  of  the  admirable  working  of  the  system, 
that  the  exchanges  of  the  banks  for  twenty-six  years, 
amounting  to  over  $200,000,000,000,  have  been  made 
without  an  error,  or  loss  of  a  single  cent,  and  with  a  sav- 
ing of  ninety-seven  per  cent,  of  time  and  trouble  over  the 
old  plan. 

Our  illustration,  taken  from  "The  Banks  of  New 
York "  (published  at  Bankers'  Magazine  office),  shows 
how  the  morning  exchanges  are  made  at  New  York. 

Similar  associations  now  exist  in  all  the  large  cities — 
24  are  reported  in  the  United  States.  p. 


MONEY    ONE    HUNDRED    YEARS   AGO. 

Two  hundred  years  ago,  students  at  Harvard  College 
paid  their  tuition  with  live-stock  and  provisions.  The 
currency  of  the  Pilgrims  was  the  first  issue  of  paper 
money  in  this  country.  During  the  war  of  Queen  Anne 
a  paper  currency  was  established,  known  as  Queen 


190  The  Bankers    Scrap-Book. 

Anne's  war  currency,  which  soon  became  worthless.  In 
1755,  Virginia  issued  a  paper  currency,  previous  to 
which  the  clergy  were  paid  in  tobacco.  In  1715,  John 
Coleman  established  a  bank  in  Massachusetts,  with  land 
for  capital,  and  began  the  issue  of  loans.  Other  colonies 
followed,  and  the  amount  of  loans  by  the  colonies  finally 
reached  t'o  millions,  which  the  mother  country  paid  off 
at  reduced  rates  to  save  the  credit  of  the  colonies.  In 
J775  Congress  issued  paper  currency  to  the  amount  of 
$300,000,  to  be  redeemed  in  coin  in  three  years.  The 
Colonies  or  States  also  issued  paper  money,  and  soon 
the  whole  volume  of  State  and  National  currency 
amounted  to  $12,000,000.  This  money  was  taken  without 
much  question  at  first,  and  those  who  refused  it  were 
stigmatized  as  unpatriotic  ;  but  in  the  following  year  it 
began  to  decline,  and  in  1780  it  was  worth  almost  noth- 
ing. A  barber-shop  in  Philadelphia  was  plastered  all 
over  with  Continental  money,  and  dogs  were  tarred, 
stuck  over  with  the  same  shin-plasters,  and  let  out  to 
run  the  streets  for  the  public  amusement.  To  Robert 
Morris  is  due  the  salvation  of  the  Revolutionary  army. 
He  lent  his  private  fortune  and  credit  to  the  government, 
and  when  all  his  money  was  gone  and  his  credit  had 
been  liberally  used,  Washington  said  he  must  raise  more 
money  to  carry  out  a  war  measure,  the  perfection  of 
which  only  waited  for  the  money.  Morris  therefore  is- 
sued his  own  notes  for  $1,400,000.  Washington  gained  the 
battle  of  Yorktown,  and  Corriwallis  surrendered.  Every 
one  of  these  Morris  notes  were  subsequently  redeemed. 
In  1782,  the  Bank  of  North  America  was  established  at 


Historical   Memoranda.  191 

Philadelphia,  with  a  capital  of  $400,000.  This  was  the 
first  bank  of  the  National  Government.  The  date  of  the 
first  silver  coinage  was  1794,  and  of  the  first  gold  coin- 
age 1794. 

* 

THE    BANK    OF     ENGLAND,    ITS    WORKINGS 
AND    REAL   FUNCTIONS. 

Few  who  read  of  the  Bank  of  England  have  any  real 
idea  of  the  vastness  of  the  operations  of  this  greatest  of 
the  financial  institutions  of  the  world.  London  is  a  sort 
of  clearing-house  for  all  civilized  nations,  and  around 
the  Bank  of  England  the  commercial  world  may  be  said 
to  revolve.  The  greatest  amount  of  deposits  in  the 
whole  of  the  New  York  banks  has  rarely,  if  ever,  ex- 
ceeded $250,000,000  ;  those  in  this  one  London  bank  have 
reached  more  than  half  that  sum,  or  $150,000,000.  The 
New  York  banks'  loans  have  varied  sometimes  $5,000,000 
or  $10,000,000  a  week  ;  in  one  week,  during  a  panic,  the 
loans  by  the  Bank  of  England  rose  over  $50,000,000,  and 
reached  $155,000,000,  or  more  than  half  the  highest  sum 
ever  reached  by  the  associated  banks  of  New  York. 
The  greatness  of  the  deposits  is  remarkable,  especially 
as  the  bank  pays  no  interest  on  them,  and  is  surrounded 
by  institutions  that  do.  Another  not  less  remarkable 
fact  is  that  nearly  forty  per  cent,  of  these  deposits — at 
one  time  nearly  $50,000,000 — was  placed  in  the  bank 
by  private  bankers,  despite  the  lack  of  interest.  All 
these  things  show  what  is  the  real  function  of  this 
vast  establishment— security.  So  desirable  is  safety 


192  The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 

that  the  owners  of  $150,000,000  prefer  to  keep  it  in  the 
bank's  vaults  without  interest,  rather  than  trust  it  else- 
where. The  other  function  the  bank  has  undertaken — 
to  control  the  money-market — it  has  failed  to  achieve  ; 
but  the  safety  it  gives  to  funds  has  doubtless  contributed 
much  to  lower  the  rate  of  interest  in  London.  Great 
care  and  pains  are  taken  to  secure  this  safety.  Every 
night  twenty-five  soldiers  of  the  regular  army  are  de- 
tailed to  guard  the  bank  ;  and,  for  the  directors  and 
managers,  men  of  the  highest  character  are  selected. 
The  movements  of  its  deposits  are  watched  with  eager- 
ness, and  it  has  even  been  said  that  whenever  they  fall 
below  $120,000,000,  money  is  pretty  sure  to  be  scarce. 
The  bank  was  185  years  old  on  the  2yth  of  July,  '79, 
having  received  a  charter  of  incorporation  at  that  date, 
and  having  been  projected  by  William  Paterson,  a 
Scotchman.  Constituted  as  a  joint  stock  company,  with 
a  capital  of  ^1,200,000,  the  whole  sum  was  lent  at  inter- 
est to  the  government  of  William  and  Mary,  then  much 
embarrassed.  At  the  outset  it  was  a  servant  of  the  State, 
and  has  ever  since  continued  such,  more  or  less.  The 
charter,  granted  at  first  for  eleven  years,  has  been  from 
time  to  time  renewed,  the  last  renewal,  subject  to  modi- 
fication or  revocation,  having  been  in  1844.  For  a  while 
the  business  was  done  in  one  room  ;  now  the  bank 
occupies,  as  everybody  knows,  a  large  building  in 
Threadneedle-street,  and  employs  some  800  men.  Noth- 
ing less  than  a  ^5  note  is  ever  issued,  and  no  note  is 
issued  a  second  time.  The  average  amount  of  notes  in 
circulation  is  ^25,000,000. 


EXPERIENCES    AMONG    THE    FREED- 

MEN. 

HIS  "  IN-TRUST." 

JUST  before-  the  failure  of  the  Freedmen's  Bank,  a 
flashily  dressed,  cane-carrying  colored  citizen  entered  a 
branch  bank,  one  morning,  and  said  he  desired  "to  ac- 
quire some  .information."  Being  requested  to  state  his 
case,  the  brother  proceeded  :  "  I  desiahs  to  know,  sah, 
whethah,  consequently,  if  this  distinguished  institootion 
should  fail,  would  the  In-trust  go  on  juss  the  same 
untwill  the  'positors  is  all  settled  therewith?"  His 
pass  book  showing  but  forty-seven  cents  balance,  his 
highness  was  informed  that  in  his  particular  case  no  in- 
terest could  be  allowed.  >  p. 


A  negro,  overpaid  $100  on  a  check,  returned  the 
money  :  a  sure  indication  that  the  race  can  never  be 
civilized.  p. 


DESIRABLE  TERMS. 

An  ancient  darkey  leaned  over  a  Clay  street  gate  yes- 
terday and .  called  to  the  dusky  proprietor  of  a  cabin  : 
9  [193] 


194  The  Bankers    Scrap-Book. 

"  See  heah,  Henry,  isn't  you  'bout  ready  to  pay  me  dat 
two  bits  ?"  "  Haven't  nuffin  to  pay  wid,"  was  the  reply. 
"You  borrowed  dat  money  a  whole  year  ago,  Henry  !" 
continued  the  old  man.  "  Can't  help  dat — can't  pay." 
"  Henry,  I  believe  you  don't  want  to  pay  ;  I  believes  you 
is  dishonest,  and  I  nebber  ask  for  de  money  again  ;  I'll 
leave  de  Lord  to  collect  it !"  "Shoo  !"  exclaimed  Henry, 
greatly  interested  all  at  once,  "you  hasn't  enny  more 
money  to  lend  on  dose  terms,  has  ye?"  — Free  Press, 


NEGLECTED   EDUCATION. 

J.  B.  Smith,  Boston's  well-known  colored  caterer, 
presented  a  check  at  the  bank  the  other  day,  and  the 
teller  asked  him  if  he  had  any  one  to  identify  him.  Mr. 
Smith,  astonished,  said  :  "  Young  man,  don't  you  know 
me?"  The  teller  confessed  that  he  did  not.  "Then," 
said  Mr.  Smith,  "  it  is  evident  you  have  not  moved  in  the 
first  circles  of  society." 


"  INVESTIGATED." 

One  of  our  thrifty  colored  customers  explained,  as  he 
drew  a  small  amount  from  his  savings  account,  that  "  I 
ain't  triflin'  this  money  for  no  foolishness,  boss,  but  you 
see,  me  an'  nine  other  fam'lies  has  jus'  investigated  ten 
dollars  a  head  into  a  grocery  store,  an'  so  dat's  what  this 
yersfor." 

Another  called  recently,  and  desired  a  private  inter- 


Experiences  among  tfie  Freedmen.  195 

view  with  the  cashier.  He  was  walked  back  ;  when  it 
appeared  he  desired  to  get  a  divorce,  and  he  was  "  sure 
this  was  the  right  place,  'cos  you  is  a  fren'  to  the  colored 
people,  and  as  you  is  a  notary  republican,  I's  sure  you 
can  make  it  illegiable,  so  that  all  of  "em  will  be  satisfied." 
He  was  sent  on. 

Another  had  recorded  for  his  identification,  that  his 
birthday  always  came  on  the  "third  Monday  in  May." 

p. 

• 

CIVIL  RIGHTS  IN  RALEIGH. 

Ten  years  ago,  this  good  one  occurred  in  our  State 
National  Bank.  As  the  portly  president  was  walking 
out  of  the  bank,  he  was  confronted  by  a  stalwart  son  of 
Afric's  sunny  clime,  who,  judging  from  the  stream  of 
water  oozing  from  his  garments,  had  been  standing  at 
the  door  in  the  rain  for  several  hours. 

"  Spose  yer  name  is  Williams,  is  it  ?" 

"  My  name,  sir,  is  Mr.  Williams." 

"  Dat's  what  I  axed  you — me'nt  no  harm;  dis  is  de 
bank,  de  State  bank,  isn't  it  ?" 

"  Yes,  sir,  this  is  the  State  National  Bank." 

"  And  de  cibble  rites  is  dun  and  pass'd,  is  it  ?" 

"  The  civil  rights  bill  is  said  to  be  the  law  of  the 
land,  sir." 

"Dat's  what  I  axed  you,  no  harm  meant;  and  ain't 
cullud  pussons  got  as  much  rite  to  'posit  money  here  as 
de  white  folks  ?" 

"  They  have  the  same  privileges  as  white  people  in 
that  particular,  sir." 


196  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 

"  Well  den,  just  take  dis  pile  ober  dar  and  put  it  agin 
my  name  on  de  book."  (Pulling  from  his  side  pocket 
about  $300  in  currency.) 

Like  a  sensible  man  as  he  is,  the  president  yielded  to 
the  majesty  of  the  law,  and  took  the  "  man  and  brother's" 
money  on  deposit. 

Now,  all  this  occurred  on  the  crowded  thoroughfare 
of  Fayetteville  street  in  open  daylight.  No  police  were 
called  in,  and  no  "  nigger  "  killed.  Who  will  say  that 
we  are  not  strictly  loyal  ? 


A    FINANCIAL    UNDERSTANDING. 

We  received,  the  other  day,  a  call  from  an  immacu- 
lately attired  African  citizen,  artificially  perfumed,  and 
wearing  yellow  kids  and  a  silk  hat,  who,  after  inquir- 
ing as  to  the  state  of  our  health,  the  weather,  &c.,  struck 
an  attitude,  and  this  conversation  ensued  : 

CITIZEN.  (Twirling  the  rose  in  his  button-hole.)  Ah, 
I  have  called,  sah,  for  the  purpose,  sah,  of — ah — obtain- 
ing a  sort  of — ah — -financial  understanding,  sah  ! 

CASHIER.   (Brusquely.)     Well,  what  is  it  ? 

CIT.  Well,  sah,  the  infohmation  desiahed,  sah,  is  about 
on  this  circumstance,  sah.  I  had  the  honah,  sah,  some 
four  weeks  since,  sah,  to  make  a  deposit  in  your  distin- 
guished institution,  sah,  and  I  neglected  to  ascertain — 
ah — the  necessary  remunerations  as  to  your  payments  of 
— ah — interest. 

CASH.  Oh,  yes.  Interest  is  six  per  cent.,  paid  July 
and  January. 


Experiences  among  the  Freedmen.  197 

CIT.  Precisely.  So  I  inferred.  May  I  trouble  you  to 
infohm  me,  sah,  consequently,  how  the  account  is  accu- 
mulating at  present,  sah  ? 

On  examination  of  the  ledger,  cashier  discovers  that 
just  four  weeks  previous,  the  man  and  brother  had  de- 
posited five  dollars  as  the  nucleus  of  a  savings  account — 
and  his  fortune.  His  accumulations  of  interest  (or  in- 
trust,  as  our  colored  customers  invariably  term  it)  had 
reached  the  colossal  figures  of  just  two  and  a  half  cents  ! 

This  "financial  understanding"  was  made  in  brief 
terms,  and  the  individual  withdrew,  profoundly  im- 
pressed with  the  deep  depths  of  the  great  subject  of 
finance.  p. 


ELIMINATING  HIS  NOTE. 

Said  the  pastor  of  the Colored  Church,  who 

had  a  small  note  falling  due,  the  other  day,  as  he  came 
in  to  fix  it : 

^Mr.  Cashier,  I  wish  to  eliminate  my  note  now  due  : 
on  what  terms  can  I  do  it  ?" 

Cashier  replies,  hardly  grasping  his  idea :  "  We  are 
always  glad  to  have  notes  eliminated,  and  cash  is  about 
the  best  thing  we  know  of  to  do  it  with." 

But  this  wasn't  his  strong  point.  He  desired  to  pay 
the  " in-trust"  and  have  a  continuation,  rather  than  an 
elimination,  as  we  found  out  at  last.  But  the  average 
African-descended  citizen  will  never  outgrow  his  love  of 
high-sounding  talk.  p. 


198  The  Bankers    Scrap-Book. 

The  Texas  "  man  and  brother  "  differeth  not  from  the 
Virginia  sort,  as  the  genial  cashier  of  the  Houston 
Savings  Bank  goes  on  to  illustrate  : 

HOUSTON,  TEXAS,  Jan.  10,  1879. 

The  love  of  hifalutin  language,  by  the  darkies  of  the 
Southern  States,  provokes  many  ludicrous  incidents  in 
the  Queen's  English. 

Some  time  ago  a  freedman  opened  a  small  account  at 
this  bank.  We  gave  him  a  pass-book,  and  in  reply  to 
usual  inquiries  from  himself,  explained  the  manner  of 
keeping  the  money,  and  paying  him  "intrust,"  as  he 
termed  it.  He  was  very  anxious  to  caution  us  not  to  let 
anybody  else  draw  his  money  but  him,  which  we 
promised  not  to  do  ! 

"  If  anybody  brings  my  book,"  quoth  he,  "and  wants 
to  draw  the  money,  don't  let  him  have  it,  till  /  issue  my 
knowledge  to  that  refect  /" 

After  that  we  fainted  dead  away. 


COLORED    SOCIETIES  IN    THE  SOUTH. 

The  "  late  emancipated"  down  here  in  Dixie  have  a 
mania  for  organizing  all  sorts  of  societies  and  "'stutions" 
and  then  opening  small  bank  accounts  for  the  same.  We 
find  the  following  represented  upon  our  books,  the 
unique  and  highly  appropriate  names  indicating  some 
originality  of  idea,  to  say  the  least,  and  there  are  hun- 
dreds more — Wandering  Pilgrims,  Noble  Sons  of  Israel, 
Rising  Stars  of  Jerusalem,  Enterprising  Daughters  of 
Galilee,  Sons  of  Simeon,  Female  Israelites  of  Zion, 


Experiences  among  the  Freedmen.  199 

Corinthian  Traveling  Sons  and  Daughters  of  Colenia! 
(Balance  $1.24),  Benevolent  Daughters  of  Noah,  Rising 
Children  of  the  Undergrowth  !  (a  juvenile  organization), 
Independent  Rising  Sons  of  Liberty,  Union  Stars,  Sons 
of  Honor,  Union  Doves  (these  "  Doves  "  being  old  men 
of  sixty  or  more  brief  summers),  Humble  Sons  of  God, 
Enterprising  Chartering  Company  No.  i.,  Sons  and 
Daughters  of  St.  Paul  (?),  Oystering  Association,  and 
the  Wrestling  Sons  and  Daughters  of  Jacob  ! — who,  for 
short,  term  themselves  the  " Rasslin  Jacobs"  and,  finally, 
The  Messengers  of  Peace  and  Followers  of  Noah's  Ark  ! 
No  matter  how  small  the  amount  to  deposit,  it  is  in- 
variably brought  in  by  a  committee  of  several  persons, 
who,  if  allowed,  would  consume  an  hour's  time  in  per- 
forming the  duty,  arid  it  is  the  best  minstrel  show  on 
earth  to  see  them  do  it. 


EXTINCT. 

The  Finance  Committee  of  a  colored  society  con- 
nected with  one  of  their  large  churches  came  in  to  bank 
a  few  nickels  with  us,  and  while  noting  the  particulars 
in  the  signature  book,  instructed  us  to  be  mighty  careful 
not  to  mix  their  money  with  any  other  'stution,  as  there 
were  four  *x-tinct  societies  of  de  same  title  in  dat  church. 
We  endeavored  to  make  the  proper  ex-tinction. 


"ON    CALL." 
"  I  can't  jess  git  frew  my  head  how  dose  business 


2OO  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 

men  can  borrow  money  on  call  an'  make  it  pay,"  Brother 
Gardner  was  explaining  at  the  market  yesterday.  "  De 
odder  day  I  borrowed  two  dollars  of  dat  Mister  Brown, 
on  Grove  street,  an'  I  was  jess  dat  fool  'nuff  to  want  to 
show  off  a  leetle,  so  I  tole  him  I  wanted  to  borrow  dat  two 
dollar  bill  on  call.  Well,  what  you  s'pose  happened  ?" 

"  He  didn't  have  any  two  dollars  to  lend  !"  called  out 
one  of  the  whitewashers. 

"  You  got  de  money  and  jumped  de  town  !"  put  in  a 
second. 

"  Gemlen,  I  knows  dis  town,  an'  dis  town  knows  me," 
stiffly  replied  Mr.  Gardner.  "  I  believes  my  money  is  as 
good  as  my  word  among  the  best  business  men  in  De- 
troit. No,  sir  ;  I  tuk  de  money,  went  home,  an'  I  hadn't 
been  in  de  house  ten  minutes  when  that  Brown  cum 
along  an'  sung  out : 

"  '  Brudder  Gardner,  I'ze  calling  over  de  fence  for  dat 
two  dollar  bill  !' 

"Dere  dat  money  was  on  call,  an'  dere  he  was  calling 
for  it,  an'  I  had  to  hand  'em  ober.  When  an  old  man 
like  me  hez  got  his  mind  made  up  to  have  fried  oysters 
for  breakfast,  an'  a  finanshul  smash  like  dat  comes  down 
upon  him,  it  jess  makes  de  shivers  go  up'n  down  his 
back  widout  regard  to  ceremony." 


THE    WRONG    BOOK. 

He  was  a  disappointed   African    who  presented  a 
blank    pass-book   at   our  counter,   and  called   for  $50. 


Experiences  among  the  Freedmen.  201 

When  told  that  he  hadn't  the  right  sort  of  book,  he  was 
quite  "setback,"  and  asked,  "  Whah  does  you  get  the 
right  book,  sah  ?"  He  had  seen  lots  of  people  drawing 
out  money  on  similar  books,  and  so  had  bought  a  blank 
book  at  the  book-store,  supposing  he  then  had  the  true 
inwardness  of  the  bank  ! 


A  customer  told  us  he  had  lived  in  Norfolk  "  ever 
since  the  vaccination  of  Suffolk  "  (meaning  evacuation) 


At  a  "  committee  meeting  "  of  the  Freedman's  Bank, 
a  worthy  brother  remarked :  "  If  I  had  the  combined 
eloquence  of  the  gem'len  who  has  superseded  me,  T 
should  try  to  answer  his  insinuendoes,"  &c.,  &c. 


OUR    COLORED    MESSENGER. 

It  is  amusing  to  notice  the  wrath  of  the  typical 
Southron,  when  one  of  the  late  emancipated  assumes 
the  business  of  white  folks.  Our  bank  is  located  in  one 
of  the  reconstructed  States,  where  colored  labor  is  plen- 
tiful, and  I  had  occasion,  for  a  time,  to  employ  as  clerk 
and  messenger  a  bright  mulatto  young  man,  who,  be- 
sides being  as  smart  as  his  average  white  neighbors,  is 
of  pleasing  address,  and  (what  is  another  damnable 
offense),  a  college  graduate^ 


2O2  The  Bankers    Scrap-Book. 

One  of  our  retail  merchants  illustrated  the  popular 
sentiment,  the  other  day,  rather  more  forcibly  than  usual. 
Meeting  him  on  the  street,  he  accosted  me  with  scowl- 
ing face  :  "  Mr.  Cashier,  what  do  you  mean,  sending  out 
niggers  to  present  drafts  to  me?  Can't  your  bank  em- 
ploy white  folks  ?"  I  mildly  suggested  that  as  we  paid 
our  messengers,  we  should  be  allowed  the  privilege  of 
selecting  them  ;  and  that  while  we  were  not  bound  to 
please  him  in  the  selection,  we  hoped,  nevertheless,  to 
employ  none  but  gentlemen, — and  asked  if  our  runner  had 
been  guilty  of  any  "impudence."  "Oh,  no,  no,"  said  he, 
shaking  his  fist  in  our  face,  in  the  most  Christian  (?)  man- 
ner possible,  "  but  it's  just  this  ;  if  you  ever  send  a  d — n 
nigger  to  my  store  again  with  a  draft,  it'll  not  be  ac- 
cepted or  paid,  and  don  t  you  forget  it  /" 

We  intimated  our  willingness  to  employ  a  special 
messenger  for  his  drafts  if  he  would  pay  the  bill,  but  if 
not,  we  had  no  concern  as  to  his  action,  assuring  him 
our  notary  would  give  the  customary  attention  to  all  his 
dishonored  paper  ;  which  he  did  quite  frequently  there- 
after, until  the  failure  and  closing-up  of  the  high-toned 
and  chivalric,  but  impecunious  merchant. 


STATISTICAL. 


A  BOOK  much  larger  than  this  could  easily  be  filled 
with  interesting  statistics,  respecting  the  mission  of  the 
world's  bankers  ;  but,  as  the  greater  part  of  these  are 
regularly  published  in  Bankers'  Magazines  and  Finan- 
cial Chronicles,  of  easy  access,  we  only  insert  here  a  brief 
chapter,  out  of  respect  to  the  absorbing  Jove  ior  facts  and 
figures  and  precedents,  which  the  American  people  so 
universally  exhibit. 

"Nothing  in  the  world  is  so  false  as  facts, — except 
figures,"  quoth  the  cynical  schoolmaster.  Let  us  begin 
the  chapter  with  the  charmingly  innocent  letter  of  a 
Turkish  Cadi  to  Mr.  Layard,  the  Oriental  traveler,  in 
reply  to  his  inquiries  respecting  the  wealth  and  popula- 
tion of  his  own  city  : 

"  MY  ILLUSTRIOUS  FRIEND,  AND  JOY  OF  MY  LIVER  ! 

"  The  thing  you  ask  of  me  is  both  difficult  and  use- 
less. Although  I  have  passed  all  my  days  in  this  place,  I 
have  neither  counted  the  houses,  nor  have  I  inquired 
into  the  number  of  the  inhabitants  ;  and  as  to  what  one 
person  loads  on  his  mules,  and  another  stows  away  in 
the  bottom  of  his  ship,  that  is  no  business  of  mine. 
But,  above  all,  as  to  the  previous  history  of  this  city, 
God  only  knows  the  amount  of  dirt  and  confusion  that 
the  infidels  may  have  eaten  before  the  coming  of  the 
sword  of  Islam.  It  were  unprofitable  for  us  to  inquire 

[203] 


2O4  The  Bankers    Scrap-Book. 

into  it.  O  my  soul  !  O  my  lamb  !  Seek  not  after  the 
things  which  concern  thee  not.  Thou  earnest  unto  us 
and  we  welcomed  thee  :  go  in  peace  ! 

"  Of  a  truth  thou  hast  spoken  many  words ;  and 
there  is  no  harm  done,  for  the  speaker  is  one,  and  the 
listener  another.  After  the  fashion  of  thy  people,  thou 
hast  wandered  from  one  place  to  another,  until  thou  art 
happy  and  content  in  none.  We  (praise  be  to  God) 
were  born  here,  and  never  desire  to  quit  it.  Is  it  possi- 
ble, then,  that  the  idea  of  a  general  intercourse  between 
mankind  should  make  any  impression  on  our  under- 
standings ?  God  forbid  ! 

"  Listen,  O  my  son  !  There  is  no  wisdom  equal  unto 
the  belief  in  God  !  He  created  the  world  ;  and  shall  we 
liken  ourselves  unto  him  in  seeking  to  penetrate  into 
the  mysteries  of  his  creation  ?  Shall  we  say — :behold, 
this  star  spinneth  around  that  star,  and  this  other 
star  with  a  tail  goeth  and  cometh  in  so  many  years  ? 
Let  it  go !  He,  from  whose  hand  it  came,  will  guide 
and  direct  it. 

"  But  thou  wilt  say  unto  me,  Stand  aside,  O  man,  for  I 
am  more  learned  than  thou  art,  and  have  seen  more  things. 
If  thou  thinkest  that  thou  art  in  this  respect  better 
than  I  am,  thou  art  welcome.  I  praise  God  that  I  seek 
not  that  which  I  require  not.  Thou  art  learned  in  the 
things  I  Care  not  for  ;  and  as  for  that  which  thou  hast 
seen  I  defile  it.  Will  much  knowledge  create  thee  a 
double  belly,  or  wilt  thou  seek  paradise  with  thine  eyes  ? 

"  O  my  friend  !  if  thou  wilt  be  happy,  say  there  is  no 
God  but  God  !  Do  no  evil,  and  thus  wilt  thou  fear 
neither  man  nor  death  ;  for  surely  thine  hour  will  come! 

"  The  meek  in  spirit  (El  Fakir), 

"IMAUM  ALI  ZADB." 


Statistical'  205 

Any  readers  who  famish  for  more  statistics  than  are 
here  afforded,  will  find  ample  enjoyment  and  profit  in 
that  overflowing  treasury  of  facts,  "  Spofford's  Amer- 
ican Almanac,"  for  the  current  year,  in  which  Mr.  Spof- 
ford  (the  distinguished  Librarian  of  Congress)  presents, 
in  most  compact  form,  about  all  the  facts  and  statistics 
for  which  even  an  American  would  be  likely  to  inquire. 
(Am.  News  Co.,  N.  Y.,  $1.50.) 


NUMBER   OF   BANKS    IN    THE   COUNTRY. 

We  find  reported  on  January  i,  1879,  the  whole 
number  of  banking  institutions  in  the  United  States,  ex- 
clusive of  brokers,  whose  name  is  legion,  6,085  banks, 
classified  as  follows ; 

National  Banks           .         .         .  2,058 

State  Banks        ....  874 

Private  Banks     ....  2,552 

Savings  Banks    ....  601 


Total  Banks        .        .        .  6,085 


SAVINGS  BANK  STATISTICS. 

We  compile  from  the  published  reports,  the  follow- 
ing interesting  table,  showing  the  present  strength  of 
Savings  Banks,  in  those  States  where  they  are  most 
popular. 


206 


The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 


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rt 

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C 

•£ 

rt 
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B 

TITLE  OP  LARGEST  BANK 

Portland  Savings  Bank.  . 

Manchester  Savings  Ban 

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PQ 

bD 
rt 

C 
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fab 

a 

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PQ 

b 

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1-1 

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Providence  Inst.  for  Savi 

Hartford  Society  for  Sa 

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Hibernian  Savings  and  L 

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PQ 

DC 
C 

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Brooklyn  Savings  Bank. 

Philadelphia  Saving  Fund 

Savings  Bank  of  Baltimo 

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Vermont  

Massachusetts.  . 

Rhode  Island.  .  . 

Connecticut  

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California  

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New  York  State, 
excl.  of  N.  Y.  ( 

Pennsylvania.  .  .  . 

Maryland  

SEAMEN'S  BANK  FOR  SAVINGS. 
(74   and  76    Wall  street,    New    York    City.) 


Statistical.  207 


GROWTH     OF     SAVINGS      BANKS      IN     NEW 
YORK     STATE. 

The  marvelous  growth  of  Savings  Banks  in  this 
country  is  best  illustrated  by  these  figures  from  KEYES' 
HISTORY  OF  SAVINGS  BANKS,  showing  their  progress  in 
the  Empire  State. 


Year.           No.  Banks.           No.  Accounts. 

No.  Deposits. 

1818                       I       .                    1,481 

$148,195 

1829                   5                    16,184 

2,263,450 

1839  .          .        12      .          .        34,716 

4,794,6i3 

1849  .                  17      .          .        92,975 

16,661,752 

1859  .          .        64      .          .     273,697 

58,178,160 

1869  .          .      133      .          .     651,474 

194,360,217 

1874  .          .      158      .          .     872,498 

•        303,935,649 

Total  Deposits  for  55  years, 

.  $1,969,347,200 

Total  Amount  withdrawn,  . 

.     1,665,411,551 

Due  Depositors,        .        .        .       303,935,649 

Concerning  this  record  of  fifty-five  years,  Mr.  Keyes 
says  : 

"  No  words  of  mine  can  add  aught  to  the  impressive- 
ness  of  the  record  as  there  disclosed.  It  speaks  for  itself 
with  an  eloquence  which  it  were  foolish  and  vain  for  me 
to  attempt  to  rival.  And  when  we  reflect  that  this 
record  is  but  the  mere  exponent,  sign,  indication,  of  a 
history  of  social  influences  and  human  experiences  that 
are  unrecorded  and  undisclosed,  hidden  away  in  the 


208  The  Bankers    Scrap-Book. 

secret  chambers  of  human  hearts,  silently  contributing  to 
the  happiness  of  millions  of  human  lives,  the  power  and 
vastness  of  this  agency  pass  beyond  the  range  of  numer- 
ical computations,  and  reach  the  confines  of  the  illimita- 
ble. 

"  This  tabulated  history  is  far  less  wonderful  and 
thrilling  than  would  be  a  revelation  of  the  unwritten 
work  accomplished  through  this  agency.  The  frugality 
and  thrift  of  which  it  has  been  the  parent,  the  latent 
energies  of  labor  which  it  has  stimulated  and  brought 
into  exercise,  the  foundations  of  future  fortunes  which 
have  been  laid  through  its  instrumentality,  the  want, 
suffering,  and  despair  that  have  been  kept  away  from 
thousands  of  homes  through  its  provident  ministry,  the 
guileless  virtue  which  it  has  shielded  from  the  tempta- 
tions of  poverty  and  hunger — if  these  could  be  spread 
before  the  eye  in  tangible,  embodied  form,  though  the 
record  were  then  to  close,  the  history  of  the  last  fifty 
years  would  be  luminous  with  the  light  of  these  benefi- 
cent experiences,  through  all  the  coming  ages." 


HOW  TO  OPEN   A  LEDGER  ALPHABETI- 
CALLY. 

To  assist  book-keepers,  who  are  often  at  a  loss  how  to 
proceed  in  opening  a  new  Ledger  alphabetically,  we 
give  the  following  Table  of  Apportionment  for  a  1,200 
page  Ledger,  for  which  credit  "  Gould's  Universal 
Index" 


Statistical.  209 


a, 

e, 

ii 

o, 

u, 

7i 

A. 

i 

16 

32 

52 

64 

68 

B. 

72 

96 

1x6 

124 

144 

^56 

C. 

1  60 

208 

220 

232 

280 

292 

D. 

296 

308 

320 

328 

336 

344 

E. 

348 

368 

384 

396 

400 

400 

F. 

404 

412 

424 

436 

45  6 

456 

G. 

460 

472 

480 

488 

492 

492 

H. 

496 

508 

5i6 

524 

536 

540 

I. 

544 

548 

556 

560 

560 

560 

J. 

564 

568 

568 

572 

580 

580 

K. 

584 

588 

596 

600 

600 

600 

L. 

604 

612 

620 

628 

636 

636 

M. 

640 

672 

676 

684 

700 

704 

N. 

708 

712 

720 

728 

73<5 

736 

O. 

740 

744 

752 

756 

756 

756 

P. 

760 

788 

808 

824 

836 

844 

R. 

848 

856 

868 

876 

896 

900 

S. 

904 

924 

956 

996 

1016 

1016 

T. 

I02O 

1036 

1044 

1056 

1084 

1092 

U. 

1096 

1TOO 

1104 

1104 

1104 

1104 

V. 

1108 

II2O 

II2O 

1124 

1124 

1124 

w. 

1128 

II4O 

1152 

1172 

1180 

1180 

X. 

1184 

1184 

1184 

1184 

1184 

1184 

Y. 

1184 

1184 

1188 

1188 

1188 

1188 

Z. 

1192  to 

1196 

9- 

1196 

to 

1  200 

2io      .  The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 


OUR  PAPER  CURRENCY. 

The  amount  of  paper  currency  in  circulation  in  the 
United  States,  on  June  30,  1878,  was  as  follows  : 
Legal  Tenders         ....  $346,681,016 
National  Currency  .         .         .     324,514,284 

State  Bank  Notes  .         .         .  426,504 

Demand  Notes         ....  62,297 

One  and  two-year  Notes  of  1863    .  90,485 

Compound  Interest  Notes       .         .  274,920 

Fractional  Currency        .         .         .       16,547,769 


Total     .         .  t     .         .         .         .  $688,597,275 


VALUABLE    UNITED    STATES   COINS. 

Many  persons  may  not  be  aware  that  the  following 
U.  S.  coins,  on  account  of  their  scarcity,  command  a 
considerable  premium,  varying  according  to  their  state 
of  preservation.  Messrs.  Scott  &  Co.,  146  Fulton  street, 
N.  Y.,  will  pay  from  25  to  500  per  cent,  over  the  face 
value,  for  any  contained  in  the  following  list : 

Dollars,  1794,  1804,  1838,  1839,  1851,  1852. 

Half  dollars,  1794,  1796,  1797,  1815. 

Quarter  dollars,  1823,  1827. 

Dimes,  1796,  1797,  1798,  1800,  1801,  1802,  1803,  1804, 
1809,  1811,  1822,  1824. 

Half  dimes,  1794,  1795,  1796,  1797,  1800,  1801,  1802, 
1803,  1805. 


Statistical. 


211 


Copper  cents,  1793,  1796,  1799,  1804,  1806,  1809,  1811, 
1813. 

Nickel  cent,  1856. 

Half  cents,  1793,  1796,  1802,  1811. 


INTEREST  LAWS  IN  FORCE  IN  1878. 

[FROM  BANKERS'  ALMANAC.] 
Rate  per  cent. 

Penalty  of  Usury. 
Loss  of  interest. 
None. 

Forfeiture  of  principal  and  interest. 
None. 
None. 
None. 

Forfeiture  of  contract. 
Forfeiture  of  contract. 
Forfeiture  of  all  interest.- 
None. 

Forfeiture  of  all  interest. 
$100,  or  imprisonment  6  months,  or 

both. 

Forfeiture  of  all  the  interest. 
Forfeiture  of  interest  over  10   per 

cent. 

Forfeiture  of  interest  and  costs. 
Forfeiture  of  excess  over  12  per  cent. 
Forfeiture  of  excess  of  interest. 
Forfeiture  of  interest. 
None. 

Forfeiture  of  excess. 
None.  (Six  per  cent,  on  judgments.) 

*  Usurers  liable  to  arrest  for  misdemeanor, 
•j-  Rate  on  judgments  unless  otherwise  expressed. 
|  On  railroad  bonds  only.  §  No  limit. 

I  No  corporation  can  plead  usury. 


State. 

Legal. 

Special. 

I  Alabama.  .  .  . 

.     8     . 

.     —  .  . 

2  Arizona  

.     10       . 

.       §  .. 

3  Arkansas  

.     6     . 

.       IO    .  . 

4  California.  .  . 

.    IO       . 

•       §  •• 

5  Colorado.  .  .  . 

.    IO       . 

•       §  -. 

6  Connecticut.. 

.     6     . 

.       6  .. 

7  Dakota  

•x    7     . 

.       12    .  . 

8  Delaware.  .  .  . 

.     6     . 

.       6  .. 

9  Dist.  of  Col.. 

.     6     . 

.       IO    .  . 

10  Florida  

..     8     . 

•       §  .. 

1  1  Georgia  

•     7     - 

.       12    .  . 

12  Idaho  

..*IO      . 

.       24    .. 

13  Illinois  

.     6     . 

.       10    .  . 

14  Indiana  .... 

.     6     . 

.       IO    .  . 

15  Iowa  

.     6     . 

.       IO    .  . 

16  Kansas  

-     7     - 

.       12    .  . 

17  Kentucky  .  .  . 

.     6     . 

.       6  .. 

1  8  Louisiana.  .  . 

•     5     . 

.       8  .. 

19  Maine  

.     6     . 

8   . 

20  Maryland  .  .  . 

.     6     . 

.       6  .. 

21  Massachusetts    6     .  .      8  .  . 

212 


The  Bankers    Scrap-Book. 


Rate  per  cent. 

State.  Legal.    Special. 

22  Michigan 7  ..  10  . . 

23  Minnesota 7  ..  12   .. 

24  Mississippi...     6  ..  §  .. 

25  Missouri 6  ..  10  . . 

26  Montana 10  ..  §  .. 

27  Nebraska 10  ..  12  .. 

28  Nevada 10  . .  §  . . 

29  N.  Hampshire     6  ..  6  .. 

30  New  Jersey. ..     6  ..  6  .. 

31  New  Mexico.     6  ..  §   .. 

32  New  York....  *7  ..  7  .. 

33  N.  Carolina. .     6  . .  8  . . 

34  Ohio 6  ..  8   .. 

35  Oregon 10  . .  12  . . 

36  Pennsylvania.     6  ..  6  .. 

37  Rhode  Island.  f6  ..  §  .. 

38  South  Carolina     7  ..  7  .. 

39  Tennessee  ....     6  . .  6  . . 

40  Texas 8  . .  12   .. 

41  Utah 10  . .  §   . . 

42  Vermont 6  . .  $7   . . 

43  Virginia 6  . .  ||    . . 

44  Washington T.  10  . .  §  . . 

45  West  Virginia.     6  . .  6  . . 

46  Wisconsin... .     7  ..  10  . . 

47  Wyoming IO  . .  §   . . 


Penalty  of  Usury. 

Forfeiture  of  excess. 

Forfeiture  of  contract  if  more  than 
'12  per  cent,  is  charged. 

Forfeiture  of  interest  over  10  per 
cent. 

Forfeiture  of  all  interest. 

None. 

Forfeiture  of  all  interest,  and  costs. 

None. 

Forfeiture  of  three  times  the  inter- 
est received. 

Forfeiture  of  all  interest  and  costs. 

None. 

Forfeiture  of  contract  ;  $1000  fine  ; 
6  months  imprisonment. 

Forfeiture  of  double  amount  of  in- 
terest. 

Forfeiture  of  excess. 

Forfeiture  of  interest,  principal  and 
costs. 

Forfeiture  of  excess.  Act  May  28, 
1858. 

Forfeiture,  unless  a  greater  rate  is 
contracted. 

Forfeiture  of  all  the  interest. 

Forfeiture  of  excess  over  6  per  cent. 

Forfeiture  of  all  interest. 

None. 

Forfeiture  of  excess. 

Forfeiture  of  interest. 

None. 

Forfeiture  of  excess. 

Forfeiture  of  all  the  interest. 

None. 


*  Usurers  liable  to  arrest  for  misdemeanor. 
\  Rate  on  judgments  unless  otherwise  expressed, 
f  On  railroad  bonds  only.  §  No  limit. 

|j  No  corporation  can  plead  usury. 


Statistical. 


213 


VALUE    OF    "GRAY-BACKS"    IN    THE     GOOD 
OLD    NORTH   STATE. 

ACT   OF  THE   LEGISLATURE   OF   NORTH  CAROLINA   IN    1865. 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of 
North  Carolina,  that  the  following  scale  of  depreciation 
be,  and  the  same  is  hereby  adopted  and  established  as 
the  measure  of  value  of  one  gold  dollar  in  Confederate 
currency  for  each  month  (and  the  fractional  parts  of  the 
month  of  December,  1864),  from  the  ist  day  of  Novem- 
ber, 1861,  to  the  ist  day  of  May,  1865,  to  wit  : 


MONTHS. 

1861. 

1862. 

I863. 

1864. 

1865. 

January  

i  20 

1    OO 

21    OO 

SO  OO 

February  .          .        

i  10 

3  oo 

21   OO 

50  oo 

March     

I    SO 

4   OO 

2"\   OO 

60  oo 

April  

I    SO 

S   OO 

2O   OO 

IOO  OO 

May  

I    SO 

s  so 

IQ   OO 

June  

I    SO 

6  so 

18  oo 

lulv    . 

I    SO 

9  oo 

21    OO 

J"Lj  
August  

I    SO 

14  OO 

21   OO 

September  

2   OO 

14  OO 

2S    OO 

October  

2  OO 

14  OO 

26  oo 

November  

I    IO 

2    SO 

15  oo 

1O  OO 

December  

i  is 

2    SO 

20  oo 

December   ist  to    loth,  in- 
clusive   

-1C    OO 

December  nth  to  2oth.  in- 
clusive   

42   OO 

December  2ist  to  3ist,  in- 
clusive   

I4Q   OO 

214  The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 


HOW    MUCH    IS    A    BILLION? 

"  A  billion  is  a  million  times  a  million.  Can  you 
count  it?  Perhaps  you  can  count  160  or  170  in  a  min- 
ute :  nay,  suppose  you  can  count  even  200  in  a  minute  ; 
then  in  one  hour  you  could  count  12,000,  if  you  were 
not  interrupted.  Well,  12,000  an  hour  would  be  288,000 
a  day  :  and  a  year,  or  365  days,  would  produce 
105,120,000  ! 

"But  this  wouldn't  allow  you  a  single  moment  for 
sleep,  nor  for  any  other  business  whatever.  Well,  now 
suppose  that  Adam,  at  the  beginning  of  his  existence, 
had  begun  to  count,  had  continued  to  count,  and  was 
counting  still ;  he  would  not  even  now,  according  to  the 
usual  supposed  age  of  our  globe,  have  counted  near 
enough.  For,  to  count  a  billion,  he  would  require 
8,512  years,  34  days,  5  hours,  and  20  minutes,  accord- 
ing to  the  above  reckoning.  But  suppose  we  were 
to  allow  the  poor  counter  twelve  hours  daily  for  rest, 
eating,  and  sleeping,  he  would  need  19,024  years,  68 
days,  10  hours,  and  40  minutes  to  count  a  billion  !" 

Just  remember  this,  when  some  generous  friend 
hands  you  over  a  present  of  a  billion,  and  asks  you  to 
"look  it  over,  and  see  if  the  amount  is  correct !" 


BANK    FOR   SAVINGS. 

(67  Blcecker  street^  New  York  City.') 

Page  215. 


Statistical.  215 

NEW  YORK   SAVINGS   BANKS. 

[CONTRIBUTED.] 

The  rise  and  progress  of  Savings  Banks  in  the  Em- 
pire State  furnishes  a  fitting  example  of  the  beneficent 
results  wrought  out  through  the  agency  of  all  such  in- 
stitutions. 

It  is  a  noticeable  fact  that  a  movement  to  organize  a 
Savings  Bank  was  instituted  about  the  same  time  in 
Philadelphia,  New  York  and  Boston.  This  was  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  year  1816.  In  New  York,  an  organiza- 
tion was  effected  November  29,  in  that  year,  but  it  did 
not  go  into  operation  until  nearly  three  years  later.  The 
prevalence  of  poverty  in  those  days  was  the  prime  cause 
which  rendered  a  Savings  Bank  necessary.  The  gentle- 
men who  took  the  initiative  in  the  work,  meeting  with 
much  opposition  in  the  Legislature,  the  original  bill  to 
incorporate  the  bank  being  defeated,  they  formed  them- 
selves into  a  "Society  for  the  Prevention  of  Pauperism," 
and  from  that  stand-point  advocated  the  favorable  influ- 
ences of  Savings  Banks  in  arresting  the  progress  of 
pauperism  and  crime. 

The  pioneer  institution,  known  as  the  "  Bank  for 
Savings  in  the  City  of  New  York,"  was  incorporated 
March  26,  1819,  and  in  the  following  July  a  place  was 
opened  for  receiving  deposits.  The  spirit  manifested  in 
the  State  Legislature  which  retarded  this  enterprise  for  a 
time,  could  not  now  keep  it  back.  The  savings  bank  idea 
had  sprung  from  master  minds;  the  character  of  those  who 
formulated  the  system  gave  it  the  impress  of  beneficence. 


216  The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 

But  the  early  growth  of  the  system  was  not  rapid. 
The  Bank  for  Savings  was  four  years  in  accumulating 
its  first  million  of  deposits.  Now  it  receives  from  five 
to  six  millions  annually,  has  on  deposit  over  $27,000,000, 
belonging  to  over  eighty  thousand  persons,  and  has  paid 
out  in  interest  to  depositors,  from  organization  to  and 
including  the  dividend  of  January,  1879,  the  sum  of 

$24,533,996  ! 

Covering  the  first  two  decades  of  savings  bank  his- 
tory in  the  , State  of  New  York,  the  banks  organized 
during  that  period  exhibit  a  similar  slow  but  sure  prog- 
ress. In  1840,  there  were  but  twelve  banks  for  savings 
in  the  State,  with  aggregate  deposits  of  $5,431,966.  Now 
there  are  one  hundred  and  thirty-two  banks,  with  de- 
posits of  about  $300,000,000.  The  following  table  shows 
the  growth  of  these  institutions  as  shown  by  their 
deposits  from  1850  to  1879  : 

1850,  ....  $20,832,972 

1855,  .  26,012,713 

1860,  .  67,440,397 

1865,  .                  .  115,472,566 

1870,  .         .         .         .  230,749,408 

1875,  ....  319,260,202 

1876,  .       .  316,677,285 

1877,  ....  312,823,058 

1878,  .       .  299,074,639 

The  aggregate  surplus  January  i,  1879,  was 
$34,553,262,  and  the  depositors  numbered  810,017,  show- 
ing an  average  of  $369  of  deposits,  and  a  guarantee 


Statistical. 


217 


surplus  of  over  $42  to  each  depositor,  equal  to  a  safety 
fund  averaging  n  38-100  per  cent. 

From  the  time  the  system  was  founded  in  New  York 
(1819)  down  to  January  i,  1879,  a  period  of  sixty  years, 


CITIZENS'   SAVINGS  BANK. 
(S.    W.  corner  of  Bowery  and  Canal  street,  New   York  City.) 

the  amount  deposited  foots  up  the  enormous  sum  of 
$2,464,841,677,  nearly  twenty-five  hundred  million 
dollars !  The  interest  paid  to  depositors  in  the  same 
time  amounts  to  $216,075,773  !  J 


218 


The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 


Note. — The  following  are  some  noteworthy  facts  in 
the  history  of  savings  banks  in  the  State  of  New  York  : 

i.  The  first  thirty-five  years  were  entirely  free  from 
failures.  Fifty  years  passed  and  the  loss  to  depositors 
was  an  inconsiderable  sum.  In  1871,  two  failures,  both 
banks  under  "  Ring  "  rule.  In  1872-3,  three  failures. 


WILLIAMSBURGH    SAVINGS   BANK. 
(149  Broadway,  Brooklyn,  E.  D.,  L.  I.) 

2.  In  1875,  a  General  Savings  Bank  Law  was  passed, 
conforming   the   banks   to   equal   rights,  liabilities  and 
powers.     Before  that  time  each  institution  was  operated 
under  its  own  charter. 

3.  From  1875  to  1879,  twenty-four  failures.     Amount 


Statistical.  219 

due  depositors  in  all  the  failed  banks,  about  Si 5, 000,000 ; 
of  this  amount  a  trifle  over  one-half  has  been  returned 
to  depositors — the  balance'  goes  to  the  receivers,  law- 
yers, "  assistant  wreckers,"  referees,  &c. 

4.  In  the  summer  of  1877,  Mr.  H.  L.  Lamb,  the  Bank 
Superintendent's  deputy  or  assistant,  "fell  on  the  mantle  of 
his  deposed  superior  "  (as  Rhodes'  Journal  of  Banking 
puts  it),  and  since  then  he  has  been  in  charge  of  the  de- 
partment. Thus  far  his  record  cannot  be  described  as 
enviable.  In  order  to  gratify  his  desire  to  make  a  show 
of  extraordinary  vigilance,  many  of  his  acts  have  been 
calculated  to  impair  public  confidence  and  bring  the  in- 
stitutions and  their  management  into  disfavor.  Under 
the  New  York  law  extraordinary  powers  are  given  to 
the  Bank  Superintendent,  and  in  the  hands  of  an  incap- 
able or  unscrupulous  man,  the  office  may  be  subserved 
to  personal  and  selfish  aims. 


GENERAL  VIEW  OF  SAVINGS  BANKS  IN  THE 
UNITED  STATES. 

[WRITTEN  FOR  THE  BANKERS'  SCRAP-BOOK.] 

The  Savings  Banks  of  the  United  States  are  institu- 
tions for  safely  investing  small  sums  saved  from  the 
wages  of  labor,  and  paying  interest  on  the  same,  and  re- 
turning the  principal  at  short  notice.  The  first  savings 
bank  in  the  country  was  started  in  Philadelphia  in  1816. 
Others  went  into  operation  in  New  York,  Boston,  Balti- 
more, and  many  New  England  towns,  during  the  three 
following  years. 

In   a  majority  of  the  States  the  savings  banks  are 


22O  The  Bankers    Scrap-Book. 

operated  under  the  regulations  of  general  law ;  in 
others  the  courts  have  jurisdiction  over  them,  while  in 
some  localities  the  banks  of  this  class  are  simply  private 
concerns  with  the  sign  "  Savings  Bank "  over  their 
doors.  The  latter  are  growing  less  in  number  each 
year. 

Another  marked  difference  in  savings  banks  is  their 
mode  of  organization  :  those  in  the  New  England  States, 
New  York  and  New  Jersey  are  all  organized  as  mutual 
or  non-capital  institutions.  A  limited  number  in 
Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Minnesota  are  also 
conducted  on  this  plan.  In  the  other  States  where  sav- 
ings banks  are  in  operation,  they  are  organized  on  the 
basis  of  a  capital  stock,  which  is  paid  in  (or  subscribed 
and  part  paid)  by  the  corporators,  as  an  additional  guar- 
antee to  the  depositors.  The  banks  without  capital  are 
sometimes  called  "  provident  institutions,"  and  are  de- 
scribed in  the  United  States  Revised  Statutes  (section 
3408)  as  "  having  no  capital  stock  and  doing  no  other 
business  than  receiving  deposits,  to  be  loaned  or  invested 
for  the  sole  benefit  of  the  parties  making  such  deposits, 
without  profit  or  compensation  to  the  association  com- 
pany." 

The  system  of  savings  banks  in  the  United  States 
would  be  greatly  strengthened  if  the  banks  in  the  various 
States  were  more  nearly  uniform  in  their  powers,  rights 
and  liabilities.  The  absence  of  State  regulation,  or  of  any 
authoritative  supervision  whatever,  in  some  localities, 
prevents  any  full  knowledge  of  their  affairs.  This  con- 
dition frequently  breeds  loss  of  confidence  by  depositors, 


Statistical.  221 

consequent    disaster    follows,    and    the    entire    system 
suffers. 

The  following  table  shows  the  aggregate  resources  of 
savings  banks  in  the  United  States,  on  or  about  the  first 
of  January  of  the  years  named  : 

1875,  ....     $896,197,454 

1876,  .      95^353,544 

1877,  .         .  .       922,794,562 

1878,  .         .       941,447,150 

The  number  of  savings  banks  is  tabulated  in  the  re- 
port of  the  Comptroller  of  the  Currency,  December  2, 
1878,  as  follows : 

New  England  States       .         .         .  442 

Middle  States          ....  193 

Southern  States      .         .         .         .  7 

Western  States  and  Territories     .  49 


Total  in  United  States    .        .691 

This  is  doubtless  the  number  of  savings  banks  which 
report  either  to  State  departments  or  to  the  United 
States  Internal  Revenue  Department,  for  the  purposes  of 
taxation.  The  actual  number  doing  business  under  the 
title  "Savings  Bank,"  amounts  to  over  one  thousand. 

It  may  be  safely  stated  from  the  returns  which  do 
exist,  that  the  amount  of  deposits  in  savings  banks 
throughout  the  United  States  reaches,  if  it  does  not  ex- 
ceed, $1,000,000,000  (one  thousand  millions),  held  by  about 
2,800,000  depositors,  while  the  amount  of  annual  interest, 
or  dividends,  paid  by  savings  banks,  exceeds  $45,000,000. 


222  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 

The  only  extended  and  comprehensive  account  of 
these  institutions  may  be  found  in  "  Keyes'  History  of 
Savings  Banks  in  the  United  States."  In  referring  to  the 
growth  of  savings  banks  in  this  country,  the  author 
says  :  "  This  growth,  from  the  best  data  we  are  able  to 
gather,  was,  during  the  ten  years  preceding  the  war, 
from  about  $43,300,000,  to  nearly  $150,000,000,  or  nearly 
two  hundred  and  fifty  per  cent. ;  probably,  if  we  could 
obtain  exact  data,  it  would  be  quite  equal  to  that.  The 
increase  from  1840  to  1850,  being  from  about  $14,000,000 
to  $43,000,000,  was  a  smaller  per  cent,  than  the  above, 
but  was  still  a  marked  and  wonderful  development." 
After  referring  to  a  comprehensive  table  in  the  work 
above  referred  to,  showing  the  growth  and  progress  of 
savings  banks  in  the  United  States  from  1820  down  to 
the  present,  the  author  says  :  "  Of  course  this  table, 
grand  and  wonderful  as  is  the  record  which  it  presents, 
falls  far  short  of  revealing  the  whole  work  accomplished 
by  savings  banks  since  their  introduction  into  this 
country.  This  can  only  be  estimated  in  the  most  gen- 
eral way,  with  many  elements  for  a  correct  calculation 
wanting.  I  should  make  a  rough  estimate  in  this  way 
about  as  follows  :  Whole  number  of  accounts  opened, 
8,700,000  ;  amount  deposited,  $4,750,000,000 ;  interest 
credited,  $300,000,000." 


The  illustrations  on  the  preceding  pages  show  the  bank  buildings 
of  three  well-known  savings  banks  in  the  city  of  New  York,  and  one 
in  Brooklyn,  E.  D.  (Williamsburgh). 


Statistical.  223 


POST   OFFICE   SAVINGS   BANKS  IN    CANADA. 

A  statement  showing  business  done  at  the  Post  Office 
Savings  Banks  from  ist  April,  1868,  to  3oth  June,  1879, 
has  been  printed.  Since  the  last  day  of  June  interest 
has  been  calculated,  and  balance  struck  of  the  accounts 
of  27,445  depositors.  There  are  in  the  Dominion  297 
post  offices  which  receive  deposits.  The  number  of 
depositors  is  27,445,  and  the^  amount  standing  to  their 
credit  on  June  3oth  was  $2,925,290.80,  or  nearly  three 
million  dollars.  Interest  is  allowed  at  the  rate  of  four 
per  cent.,  except  on  $179,900,  which  draws  five  per  cent., 
and  it  is  stated  that  no  new  deposits  to  draw  five  per 
cent,  have  been  accepted  since  1871.  The  following 
figures  show  the  total  amounts  due  depositors  on  3oth  of 
June  in  each  year  named,  that  for  1868  being  accumula- 
tion of  three  months'  business,  only  the  beginning  hav- 
ing been  made  on  the  first  of  April  of  that  year  : 


1868  $130,688 
1869   153,614 
1870  939,938 
1871  1,396,559 

1872  $2,144,600 

1873  2,508,651 
1874  2,692,865 
1875  2,525,390 

1876  $2,432,852 

1877  2,375,537 
1878  2,498,400 
1879  2,925,290 

— Monetary  Times,  Toronto. 


ORIGIN    OF   BANKS. 

The  name  "bank"  is  derived  from  banco,  a  bench 
erected  in  the  market-place  for  the  exchange  of  money. 


224  The  Bankers    Scrap  Book. 

The  first  was  established  in  Italy,  808,  by  the  Lombard 
Jews,  of  whom  some  settled  in  Lombard  street,  London, 
where  many  bankers  still  reside.  The  Mint  in  the  Tower 
of  London  was  anciently  the  depository  for  merchants' 
cash,  until  Charles  I.  laid  his  hands  upon  the  money  and 
destroyed  the  credit  of  the  Mint,  in  1640.  The  traders 
were  thus  driven  to  some  other  place  of  security  for 
their  gold,  which,  when  kept  at  home,  their  apprentices 
frequently  absconded  with  to  the  army.  In  1645,  there- 
fore, they  consented  to  lodge  it  with  the  goldsmiths  in 
Lombard  street,  who  were  provided  with  strong  chests 
for  their  own  valuable  wares  ;  this  became  the  origin  of 

banking  in  England. 

— Haydn 's  Dictionary  of  Dates. 


SUBSTITUTE    FOR    MONEY. 

The  principal  market  in  Guernsey  was  built  without 
money.  The  governor  issued  four  thousand  market 
notes,  and  with  these  paid  the  workmen  who  built  it. 
These  notes  circulated  through  the  island,  until  the  mar- 
ket was  built  and  occupied  ;  and  when  the  rents  came 
in,  these  notes  were  received  in  payment  of  the  rents,  and 
were  canceled.  In  the  course  of  a  few  years,  the  notes, 
being  all  paid  in,  were  publicly  burned  in  the  market. 

The  Water  Works,  Upper  Canada,  were  constructed 
by  a  similar  use. 


TRAGICAL. 

TRAGICAL      RESULT      OF      LOSING      BANK 
NOTES. 

ONE  of  the  most  tragical  events  in  the  business  world 
took  place  awhile  ago  in  St.  Petersburg.  The  agent  of 
a  banker,  who  had  been  to  the  bank  to  receive  the  value 
of  fifteen  thousand  silver  roubles,  lost  the  package  of 
bank  notes  on  his  return.  The  money  was  picked  up 
by  a  clerk,  who,  instead  of  giving  the  funds  at  once  to 
the  owner,  followed  the  agent  to  his  destination,  and  in 
this  way  ascertained  his  name.  The  clerk  then  returned 
home,  hesitating  in  his  own  mind  how  he  should  act. 
When  he  arrived  there,  a  violent  quarrel  took  place 
between  him  and  his  wife,  the  latter  wishing  to  keep 
the  money.  The  clerk,  however,  on  the  following  day, 
went  to  the  house  of  the  owner  to  deliver  the  money, 
but  the  banker  would  not  receive  it,  saying  his  agent 
had  committed  suicide  in  the  night,  on  account  of  the 
loss.  Overcome  with  remorse,  the  clerk  returned  home, 
where  he  found  that,  during  his  absence,  his  wife  had 
hanged  herself  from  vexation  at  not  having  kept  the 
money.  He  immediately  cut  down  the  body,  and  hung 

himself  with  the  same  rope. 

10*  [225] 


226 


The  Bankers   Scrap-Book* 


JOHN    W.    BARRON, 

MURDERED   AT   HIS     POST. — "FAITHFUL   UNTO   DEATH." 

Through  the  kindness  of  the  publishers  of  RHODES' 
JOURNAL,  whose  issue  of  April,  1879,  contained  a  full 
account  of  the  death  of  the  Hero  Cashier,  John  W.  Bar- 
ron,  of  Dexter,  Maine,  we  insert  his  portrait,  and  an 
abridgment  of  the  article  there  published. 

The  sublime  heroism  of  this  quiet,  unassuming  man, 
who  surrendered  his  life  rather  than  his  trust,  has  been 
the  topic  of  the  New  England  press  for  months,  and  his 
name  will  deservedly  pass  into  history. 

On  Washington's  Birthday,  1878,  Mr.  Barren  im- 
proved the  holiday  by  writing  at  the  bank.  Failing  to 
come  home  at  the  usual  hour,  his  wife  became  anxious, 
and  persuaded  a  neighbor  to  call  at  the  bank  to  see  if 
all  was  right.  The  result  is  familiar  to  all  who  read  the 
papers.  The  neighbor  found  the  cashier  of  the  National 
Bank,  and  with  him  entered  the  building  which  his  own 
and  Mr.  Barren's  Savings  Bank  occupied.  Both  banks 
use  a  common  vault  for  their  safes,  situated  between 
their  respective  rooms,  as  shown  in  following  diagram  : 


*   Door  from  Savings  Bank  into  vault, 
f  Door  from  National  Bank  into  vault. 


CASHIER  JOHN  W.  BARRON.    MURDERED  AT  DEXTER,  MAINB. 
1878.— Page  226. 


Tragical.  227 

On  opening  the  door  of  the  vault  used  by  the 
National  Bank,  sounds  of  distress  were  heard  from  the 
other  side ;  but  as  the  door  of  the  Savings  Bank  safe  was 
open,  and  fastened  open,  thus  blocking  the  space  be- 
tween the  safes,  they  could  not  welJ  reach  the  sufferer. 
The  door  of  the  Savings  Bank  was  then  forced  open, 
when  it  was  found  that  the  vault  door  on  this  side  was 
closed  and  locked  ! 

The  men  then  tried  again  from  the  National  Bank 
side,  and  by  great  effort  forced  their  way  between  the 
safes  and  over  the  safe  door,  when,  by  the  light  of  a 
lantern,  Mr.  Barron  was  discovered  in  a  most  pitiable 
condition.  He  lay  in  a  distorted  position,  gagged,  with 
hands  tightly  fastened  behind  him  by  a  pair  of  French 
hand-cuffs,  and  had  evidently  been  knocked  senseless, 
and  lying  there  for  more  than  two  hours.  An  alarm  was 
given,  other  assistance  came,  and  Mr.  Barron's  body  was 
got  through  the  narrow  space  between  the  safes,  and 
into  the  National  Bank  office,  where  the  manacles  were 
cut  from  his  wrists,  and  medical  aid  summoned.  Here 
he  lay,  surrounded  by  physicians  and  kind  friends,  rally- 
ing but  little  from  their  kind  ministrations  until  his  death 
at  six  next  morning — his  agonized  wife  remaining  by 
his  bedside  to  the  last. 

The  following  notice,  in  an  extra  Gazette,  shows  the 
feeling  about  this  murder  in  Dexter  : 

"  As  will  be  seen  by  the  account  which  we  publish  in 
this  extra  edition  of  the  Gazette,  a  terrible  event  has  oc- 
curred in  our  town.  One  of  the  banking  houses  here 


228  The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 

has  been  entered  by  burglars  and  robbed;  and  in  trying 
to  accomplish  their  designs  the  guilty  wretches  have 
murdered  the  treasurer,  Mr.  J.  W.  Barren,  a  gentleman 
who  has  grown  up  here  among  the  people  of  Dexter, 
who  is  known  to  all,  and  known  only  to  be  respected 
and  beloved.  We  doubt  if  there  is  a  man  in  the  whole 
State  of  Maine  who  has  been  engaged  in  one  way  and 
another  with  so  many  different  people,  and  in  such  im- 
portant positions,  who  has  more  thoroughly  succeeded 
in  keeping  the  good-will  of  all.  He  was  such  a  man  as 
Dexter,  or  any  other  town  lucky  enough  to  have  him 
for  a  citizen,  could  ill  afford  to  lose,  even  in  the  natural 
course  of  events.  But  when  such  a  one  is  murdered 
because  he  stands  in  the  way  of  a  gang  of  cut-throats 
who  are  after  money,  we  cannot  even  contemplate  the 
idea  without  the  most  passionate  feeling  ;  and  when  we 
say  this,  we  but  reflect  the  heartfelt  sentiment  of  every 
citizen  of  this  community.  We  have  never  been  an  ad- 
vocate of  the  Lynch  law — we  don't  believe  in  it  now, 
and  should  certainly  oppose  its  execution  by  every 
means  in  our  power — yet  we  but  state  what  is  a  fact 
when  we  say  that,  in  the  present  mood  of  this  commu- 
nity, if  Mr.  Barren's  murderer  should  be  discovered,  and 
could  be  reached  by  the  people,  his  life  would  not  be 
worth  a  farthing." 

The  money  loss  to  the  bank  was  trifling,  the  bank 
examiner  reporting  it  as  $628.82. 

Some  months  after  the  murder,  the  public  were 
astonished  by  a  report  from  the  officers  of  the  bank  that 


Tragical.  229 

Mr.  Barron  was  not  murdered  at  all,  but  had  committed 
suicide  to  conceal  his  robbery  of  the  bank.  They 
claimed  to  have  had  a  "  thorough  "  examination,  which 
brought  out  this,  and  their  detective,  one  Dearborn, 
showed  how  it  was  quite  possible  for  Mr.  Barron  to  have 
locked  himself  into  the  vault,  and  arranged  everything 
ju?t  as  found  when  he  was  discovered.  But,  considering 
the  fact  that  Mr.  Barron  was  a  quiet,  village-bred  citizen, 
unfamiliar  with  practical  crime,  that  he  showed  no  ner- 
vousness to  his  family  on  the  fatal  day,  that  his  own 
pocket-book,  containing  about  $500,  has  not  been  seen 
since  his  death,  and  that  no  irregularities,  conflicting 
with  the  theory  of  his  innocence,  have  yet  come  to  light, 
the  officers  of  the  bank  have  found  the  public  quite  un- 
willing to  believe  their  extraordinary  statements.  The 
circumstances  of  his  death  utterly  preclude  all  idea  of 
suicide,  and  this  outrageous  attack  upon  his  memory 
seems,  to  all  candid  minds,  a  more  cruel  and  damnable 
murder  than  that  by  which  he  lost  his  life. 

On  February  22,  1879,  the  anniversary  of  his  death,  a 
deeply-interesting  memorial  service  was  held  at  the 
Congregational  Church  in  Dexter,  at  which  a  large 
audience  was  present.  The  church  was  appropriately 
draped,  and  adorned  with  floral  designs.  Back  of,  and 
above  the  platform,  was  placed  a  picture  of  Mr.  Barron, 
against  a  background  of  black  drapery,  and  over  the 
platform  was  the  motto,  in  evergreen,  "  FAITHFUL  UNTO 
DEATH."  Several  clergymen  took  part  in  the  exercises, 
Rev.  J.  S.  Sewell,  D.D.,  of  the  Bangor  Theological 
Seminary,  delivering  a  lengthy  address  upon  the  life, 


230  The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 

character,  and  death  of  Mr.  Barren,  all  of  which  con- 
vinced him  of  the  falseness  of  the  theory  of  suicide,  and 
strengthened  him  in  the  belief  that  Mr.  Barron  was 
indeed  "  Faithful  unto  death." 


DISHONOR,    BUT    NOT    DEATH. 

From  the  middle  of  the  Keystone  State  comes  a 
cashier  with  this  affidavit : 

A  certain  M.  D.,  having  a  drug  store  in  our  town, 
and  having  some  notes  maturing  to  several  Philadelphia 
houses,  and  no  money  to  meet  them,  and  whose  standing, 
financially,  was  considerably  below  par,  believing  his 
credit  would  be  ruined  entirely  if  his  notes  went  to  pro- 
test, and  having  been  refused  by  several  men  whose 
indorsement  he  had  solicited,  came  into  our  bank,  and 
in  a  very  excited  manner  informed  me  he  had  purchased 
a  revolver,  and  was  about  to  go  home,  make  his  wilt, 
and  shoot  himself.  Brandishing  the  murderous  weapon, 
he  exhorted  me  not  to  mention  it  until  all  was  over,  but 
he  had  fully  resolved,  and  should  proceed  at  once  to 
blow  his  brains  out. 

Recommending  him  to  our  bank's  attorney  as  a  suit- 
able person  to  draw  up  his  testamentary  document,  I 
b,ade  him  farewell,  and  he  retired.  To  my  surprise  he 
actually  visited  the  attorney,  and  had  the  will  drawn  and 
executed  in  due  and  ancient  form.  Whereupon  my  hu- 
manity overcame  my  good  sense,  and  thinking  it  was  a 
pity  to  let  the  poor  man  destroy  himself,  I  called  on  him, 


Tragical.  231 

and  most  earnestly  reasoned  the  case  over  with  him  ;  so 
effectually,  too,  that  he  relented,  and  didn't  shoot.  But 
he  subsequently  acted  the  fool  so  abominably,  that  I  de- 
voutly wished  I  had  allowed  the  tragedy  to  proceed. 
When  another  customer  of  this  bank  desires  to  suicide, 
the  cashier  will  be  the  last  man  to  interpose  any  objec- 
tion. 


STOCK    GAMBLING    SUICIDES. 

The  San  Francisco  Chronicle  publishes,  under  the 
sign  of  a  skull  and  cross-bones,  and  in  a  heavy  black 
border,  the  names  of  sixty-five  citizens  of  the  town,  who 
have  committed  suicide  since  1874,  on  account  of  losses 
suffered  in  stock  speculations.  This  is  held  up  as  a 
frightful  argument  against  the  existence  of  the  San 
Francisco  Stock  Board. 


DISCOUNTING  A   LEGACY. 

It  is  related  of  TAYLOR,  an  eminent  stock  jobber  in 
London,  and  who  died  worth  half  a  million,  that  he  was 
so  penurious  as  to  scarcely  allow  himself  the  necessaries 
of  life.  On  his  death-bed  the  officers  of  the  parish 
waited  upon  him  at  his  request,  and  found  the  old  man 
on  a  wretched  bed  in  a  garret,  dining  on  a  thin  slice  of 
bacon  and  a  potato,  of  which  he  asked  them  to  partake. 
One  of  them  accepting,  the  miser  desired  the  cook  to 
broil  him  another  ;  but,  finding  the  larder  totally  empty, 


232  The  Bankers    Scrap-Book. 

Taylor  rebuked  her  harshly  for  not  having  it  well  sup- 
plied with  a  quarter  of  a  pound  to  cut  out  in  slices  for 
company.  He  then  informed  the  overseers  of  the  poor 
that  he  had  left,  by  his  will,  one  thousand  pounds  ster- 
ling for  their  relief,  and  eagerly  inquired  if  they  would 
not  allow  him  discount  for  prompt  payment !  This  being 
assented  to,  apparently  much  delighted,  he  immediately 
gave  them  a  check  for  nine  hundred  and  fifty  pounds, 
and  soon  after  breathed  his  last. 


THE  BARRON  MEMORIAL  CHURCH. 

The  Congregational  Church  at  Dexter,  Maine,  built 
in  memory  of  the  martyr  cashier,  Barron,  is  now  nearly 
completed.  It  has  been  largely  paid  for  by  outside 
effort,  among  banks  and  bankers.  Over  $3,000  has  been 
already  raised,  and  about  $800  more  is  needed.  In  view 
of  the  fact  that  the  church  edifice  is  a  memorial  to  the 
murdered  bank  cashier,  who  was  for  years  a  deacon  in 
this  church,  it  would  be  a  graceful  and  eminently  proper 
thing  if  eight  hundred  cashiers  about  the  country  would, 
as  soon  as  these  lines  are  read,  remit  ONE  DOLLAR-  EACH 
to  Rev.  J.  S.  Richards  (Pastor  of  the  church),  Dexter, 
Me.  A  brick  in  this  church  is  excellent  property  for  a 
bank  to  own.  How  many  will  respond  ? 

PERCY. 


A    LECTURE  ON    FINANCE. 
JOSH  BILLINGS  MAKES  A  FEW  REMARKS.— Page  233. 


JOSH   BILLINGS. 


BELIEVING  our  Scrap-Book  would  be  incomplete 
without  some  clippings  from  the  wisdom  of  this  eminent 
financier  and  philosopher,  we  begged  him  to  contribute, 
or  allow  us  to  embezzle  some  of  his  ideas,  to  which  he 
promptly  responded  as  follows  : 

March  26,  1879. 

NEW  YORK. 
I  dwell  in  New  York. 

I  cannot, 

My  Dear  Sir,  furnish  you  with  what  you  ask  for,  but 
you  may  reach  out  and  take  anything  of  mine  that  is  on  the 
wing,  for  the  especial  purpose  you  ask  for. 
May  your  venture  have  Luck 

is  the  prayer 
of  JOSH  BILLINGS. 

[As  a  P.  S.  he  inclosed  this  financial  chromo.] 
[SEE  PAGE  236.] 

[233] 


234 


The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 


APHORISMS,    PRECEPTS,    &c. 

I  hav  finally  cum  to  the  konklushun  that  the  best 
epitaff  enny  man  kan  hav,  for  all  praktlkall  purposes,  is 
a  good  bank  ackount. 

If  yu  undertake  to  hire  a  man  to  be  honest,  yu  will 
hav  to  raize  hiz  wages  every  morning,  and  watch  him 
dredphull  cluss  besides. 

If  yu  want  to  find  out  the  utter  weakness  oy  munny, 
just  try  to  hire  a  dubble  tooth  to  stop  akeing. 


Josh  Billings.  235 

The  devil  is  a  very  cunning  phellow,  but  the  blunders 
he  makes  allwuss  eats  up  the  proffitts  in  hiz  bizzness. 

This  iz  my  plan — to  beleave  all  things  that  i  hear,  but 
to  put  mi  faith  and  munny  in  but  few. 

Dear  Hank, — When  you  strike  ile  pull  out  yure 
auger  at  onst,  and  begin  to  barrell  the  ile ;  menny  a  man 
haz  kept  on  until  he  bored  klean  thru,  and  sum  other 
phellow  kaught  the  grease  at  the  bottom. 

There  may  be  sutch  a  thing  as  a  man  who  haz  stole 
once,  and  then  quit,  but  i  hav  not  the  honor  ov  hiz 
acquaintance. 

Mankind  luv  to  be  cheated,  but  they  want  to  have  it 
dun  bi  an  artist. 

It  aint  safe  to  endorse  ennybody  ;  we  kant  even  tell 
ourselfs  what  kind  ov  a  man  we  shall  be  on  the  25th  day 
of  next  June. 

What  a  man  gits  for  nothing,  he  iz  very  apt  to  value 
at  just  about  what  it  kost. 

There  is  a  multitude  of  folks  who  mean  well  enuff, 
but  how  like  the  devel  tha  act. 

If  I  was  asked,  "  what  is  the  chief  end  of  man  now  a 
daze,"  I  should  immegiately  repli,  "ten  per  cent." 

It  aint  often  that  a  man's  reputashun  outlasts  his 
munny. 

It  is  dredful  easy  tew  be  a  phool — a  man  kan  be  one 
and  not  know  it. 

Munny  is  like  promises,  easier  maid  than  kept. 

The  fules  in  this  wurld  make  about  as  much  trubble 
as  the  wicked  du. 

I  never  argy  agin  a  sucksess,  when  i  see  arattlesnaixs 


236 


The  Bankers    Scrap-Book. 


bed  sticking  out  ov  a  whole,  i  bear  off  to  the  left,  and  say 
to  myself — that  whole  belongs  to  that  snaix. 

I   hav  notised  that  all  men  are   honist  when  well 
watched. 


Terr 


T", 


Bfi-kf         — 


I  luv  a  phool  ;  what  little  I  kno  I  hav  larnt  by  hang- 
ing around  them. 

He  who  suspekts  everyboddy,  should  be  watched  by 
everyboddy. 

A  good  karakter  is  allwuss  gained  bi  inches,  but  iz 
often  lost  in  one  chunk. 


Josh  Billings.  237 

Mi  experience  in  life  thus  far  haz  been,  that  7  won't 
go  into  5,  and  hav  mutch  of  ennything  left  over. 

Lerning  pays  a  better  interest  than  munny  duz,  be- 
sides the  principal  never  gits  lost. 

Don't  change  yure  bait,  mi  boy,  if  you  are  ketching 
fish  with  angle  worms — stik  to  the  worms. 

Don't  never  trust  a  man  at  the  rate  ov  50  cents  on  a 
dollar, — if  you  kant  konfide  in  him  at  par,  let  him 
slide. 

Young  man,  mark  yure  goose  up  hi :  two-thirds  ov 
the  world  hav  no  other  idea  of  value,  only  by  the  price 
that  iz  put  onto  things. 

The  fust  3  notes  i  endorsed  i  had  to  pay,  and  i  hope  it 
will  be  jiss  so  with  the  next  3. 

Tew  enjoy  a  good  reputashun,  give  publickly,  and 
steal  privately. 

Tew  remove  grease  from  a  man's  karakter,  let  him 
strike  sum  sudden  ile. 

When  i  git  thoroughly  ritch,  the  fust  thing  i  intend 
to  dew  iz  tew  bekum  respektabel. 

Better  leave  yure  children  virtew  than  money, — but 
this  is  a  sekret  known  only  to  a  few. 

The  time  tew  be  karefullest  iz  when  we  hav  a  hand 
full  ov  trumps. 

I  hav  allwus  notised  one  thing,  when  a  man  gits  in  a 
tite  spot,  he  don't  never  call  on  hiz  friend  the  Devil  tew 
help  him  out. 

Prosperity  makes  phools,  and  adversity  cures  them. 
I  don't  kno  ov  ennything  more  remorseless,  on  the 
face  of  the  earth,  than  7  per  cent,  interest. 


238 


The  Bankers    Scrap-Book. 


A  kicking  cow  never  lets  drive  until  just  as  the  pail 
gets  phull — it  is  jiss  so  with  sum  men's  blunders. 
The  man  who  haint  got  an  enemy  iz  really  poor. 


Thare  iz  two  kind  ov  men  that  i  don't  kare  to  meet 
when  i  am  in  a  grate  hurry ;  men  that  i  owe,  and  men 
that  want  to  owe  me. 


Josh  Billings. 


239 


Total  depravity  iz  a  hard  thing  for  me  to  believe,  but 
i  must  say,  that  i  often  meet  cases  that  wouldn't  pay 
more  than  5  per  cent,  for  rektifying. 

The  highest   rate  ov  interest  that   we    pay   iz    for 


borrowed  trouble.  Things  that  are  alwus  a-going  tew 
happen,  never  do  happen. 

Blessed  iz  he  who  can  pocket  abuse,  and  feel  that  it 
iz  no  disgrace  tew  be  bit  bi  a  dog. 

Money  well  spent  iz  well  invested. 


240 


The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 


Take  all  the  phools  and  good  luk   out  ov  this  world, 
and  it  would  bother  the  rest  ov  us  tew  git  a  living. 


A  phool's  money  iz  like  hiz  branes — very  oneazy. 
Next  tew  the  man  who  iz  worth  a  millyun,  in  point 
ov  wealth,  iz  the  man  who  don't  kare  a  kuss  for  it. 


Josh  Billings.  241 

One  ov  the  handyest  things  a  man  kan  do,  is  to  giv 
hiz  note  for  90  daze. 

Real  good  lies  are  gitting  skarse. 

Diogoneze  hunted  in  the  da  time  for  an  honest  man, 
with  a  lantern  ;  if  he  had  lived  in  theze  times,  he  would 
hav  needed  the  hed  lite  ov  a  lokomotiff. 

The  world  iz  bankrupt  in  morals,  and  if  kind  heaven 
won't  settle  with  us  for  10  cents  on  the  dollar,  the  devil 
will  git  the  whole  thing  bi  foreclosure. 

The  man  who  forgives,  and  don't  forgit,  compounds 
for  50  cents  on  the  dollar. 

Whenever  you  cum  akrost  a  man  who  distrusts 
everyboddy,  you  hav  found  one  whom  it  is  safe  for 
everyboddy  to  distrust. 

If  you  would  eskape  envy,  abuse,  and  taxes,  you  must 
liv  in  a  deep  well,  and  only  cum  out  in  the  nite  time. 

If  you  hav  enny  doubt  about  the  propriety  ov  a  thing, 
you  may  be  pretty  certain  that  the  doubt  is  right. 

Thare  are  folks  who  kant  bear  to  do  ennything  unless 
thare  iz  a  commishun  in  it ;  if  they  subskribe  a  thousand 
dollars  for  bilding  a  church,  they  want  10  per  cent,  off 
for  cash. 

The  man  who  haint  never  bin  cheated,  don't  kno  so 
mutch  az  he  will  sum  day,  before  long  perhaps. 


242 


The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 


THE    MIZER. 

The  mizer  digs  hiz  heart  out  hollow  to  stow  away  hiz 
munny  in.  He  akumulates  bi  littles,  and  never  opens 
hiz  harte,  only  on  a  krak,  to  let  another  shilling  in. 

An  old  mizer  iz  a  sad  sight  enuflf,  but  next  to  an 
ideot,  a  young  mizer  iz  the  most  revolting  thing  on 
earth.  Mizers  enjoy  what  they  don't  use,  looze  what 
they  save,  and  die  possessed  ov  the  only  treasure  that  iz 
ov  no  use  to  them.  The  most  terrible  sarkasm  iz  a 
mizer's  phuneral,  the  heir  often  makes  it  gorgeous,  and 
expensiv,  and  then  pitches  hedlong  into  the  pile  the  old 
phool  haz  left. 


Josh    Billings. 


243 


The  biggest  phool  in  this  world  hazn't  been  born 
yet. 

I  think  now  if  I  had  all  the  money  that  iz  due  me  i 
would  invest  it  in  a  saw  mill, and  let  her  rip. 

Mankind  love  misterys  ;  a  hole  in  the  ground  excites 
more  wonder  than  a  star  up  in  heaven. 

Fools  are  the  whet  stuns  ov  society. 

Thare  iz  nothing  in  this  world  that  a  man  pays  so  hi 
a  price  for,  and  gits  so  little  ov  hiz  munny  back,  as  he 
duz  for  Repentance. 


244  The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 

The  miser  who  heaps  up  gains  tew  gloat  over,  iz  like 
a  hog  in  a  pen,  fatted  for  a  show. 

I  hav  finally  cum  tew  the  konklushun,  if  a  man  kant 
be  born  but  once,  he  had  better  issue  proposals  tew  hav 
it  dun  somewhare  in  Nu  England. 

It  is  only  a  step  from  cunning  tew  dishonesty,  but 
it  iz  a  step  that  a  man  iz  liable  at  enny  time  to  take. 

I  don't  kno  az  i  want  to  bet  enny  money,  and  give 
odds,  on  the  man  who  iz  alwus  anxious  tew  pra  out  loud 
every  chance  he  can  git. 

When  a  man  duz  a  good  turn  just  for  the  phun  ov  the 
thing,  he  haz  got  a  grate  deal  more  virtew  in  him  than 
he  iz  aware  ov. 

Suckcess  is  quite  often  like  falling  oph  from  a  log,  a 
man  kant  alwus  tell  how  he  kum  to  did  it. 

The  man  whom  yu  kant  git  to  write  poetry,  or  tell 
the  truth,  until  yu  git  him  haff  drunk  ain't  worth  the 
investment — No,  sir. 

Munny  makes  munny.  We  all  ov  us  take  our  korn 
to  the  ritch  miller  tew  hav  it  ground. 

Silence  iz  alwus  safe. 

Thare  iz,  now  and  then,  a  man  who  knows  that  he  iz 
a  phool ;  sutch  a  man  iz  a  hard  man  tew  cheat. 

The  more  humble  a  man  iz  before  God,  the  more  he 
will  be  exalted, — the  more  humble  he  iz  before  men,  the 
more  he  will  git  rode  ruff  shod. 

If  yu  are  going  to  giv  a  man  enny  thing,  giv  it  to  him 
cheerfully,  and  quick,  don't  make  him  git  doun  on  hiz 
kneeze  in  front  ov  you,  and  listen  to  the  10  command- 
ments, and  then  yu  giv  him  5  cents. 


MISCELLANEOUS. 


A    CASE    OF    MISTAKEN    IDENTITY. 

PATRICK  MOLONEY  (Irish  !)  made  a  deposit,  and  the 
teller  handed  him  the  signature  book  for  his  name.  He 
wrote  in  it,  and  passed  it  back  to  the  teller,  who  looked 
at  the  signature  and  read  "Dennis  O'Neal."  "Why!" 
said  the  teller,  "  I  thought  your  name  was  Patrick  Mo- 
loney."  "  And  sure  it  is  that  same,"  said  Pat.  "  Then 
why  did  you  write  Dennis  O'Neal?"  said  the  teller. 
"  And  did  I  ?"  said  Pat ;  "  thin,  bedad,  I  was  writing  the 
name  of  another  man  I  was  thinking  about,  jist."  (This 
actually  occurred.) 


A    CHINAMAN'S    COLLATERAL. 

This  unique  advertisement  from  a  "  Frisco  "  paper 
shows  one  beautiful  side  of  the  Chinese  question. 

"  Wang  Geu  owes  Dr.  Yee  Cheugh  Five  Hundred 
and  Fifty  Dollars.  He  cannot  pay  it.  So,  according  to 
the  Chinese  law,  he  left  his  woman,  Sing  Gim,  in  Dr. 
Yee  Cheugh's  possession  as  collateral,  until  the  money 
shall  be  paid.  All  right.  By  and  by,  all  same  yester- 
day, Sing  Gim  stole  Three  Hundred  and  Seventy  Dol- 
lars from  Dr.  Yee  Cheugh,  and  ran  away.  Now  then  all 

[245] 


246  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 

Chinamen  take  notice  that  if  you  keep  Sing  Gim  you 
must  pay  me  Nine  Hundred  and  Twenty  Dollars,  all 
same  Wang  Geu.  DR.  YEE  CHEUGH." 

It  is  to  be  hoped  Dr.  Y.  C.  recovered  his  money  or 
his  "stock." 


HOW    TO    RESTORE   CONFIDENCE. 

National  Bank,  No.  2268,  at  Winona,  Minn.,  sends 
us  this  good  one  : 

During  the  panic  of  '73  one  of  the  banks  in  this  city, 
though  perfectly  solvent,  had  more  calls  from  those 
holding  certificates  than  was  desirable,  though  every 
one  was  paid  promptly.  One  day  a  man  called  with 
one  of  $300,  and  the  person  at  the  counter  went  to  the 
safe,  and  took  out  a  large  package  of  bills,  on  the  top  of 
which  were  three  one  thousand  dollar  notes.  He  took  the 
package  to  the  counter  and  in  sight  of  the  person  who 
held  the  $300  certificate,  turned  up  one  of  the  thousand 
dollar  notes,  then  the  next  one,  and  said,  "  This  is  not  the 
package  I  wanted,"  and  put  it  aside.  The  next  day  the 
customer  told  all  his  neighbors  there  was  no  danger  of 
that  bank,  as  he  saw  a  package  six  inches  deep,  all  thou- 
sand dollar  bills.  It  took,  and  was  well  circulated,  which 
doubtless  kept  many  small  depositors  satisfied. 


THE    RISE    IN    GOLD. 

During  the   late  war,  when   gold   reached   240  per 
cent.,  a  deaf  and  dumb  man  stepped  into  a  broker's  office 


Miscellaneous.  247 

in  N.  J.,  and  inquired,  by  aid  of  slate  and  pencil,  what 
they  would  pay  for  gold,  and  received  the  laconic  reply, 
"  240."  He  considered — went  out — returned — considered, 
and  finally  determined  to  sell.  He  produced  a  small 
package  from  his  pocket,  and  removing  wrapper  after 
wrapper,  brought  forth  one  gold  dollar  piece.  He  was 
handed  two  dollars  and  forty  cents.  With  a  puzzled 
look  he  asked,  "What's  that?"  The  reply  was  "Two 
dollars  and  forty  cents — 240  for  gold."  Beginning  to 
comprehend  that  the  broker  really  intended  to  offer  the 
amount  as  the  value  of  his  gold,  he  became  indignant, 
and  sharply  asked  "  What  do  you  mean  ?"  The  broker 
answered,  "  Why,  240  per  cent,  for  gold  is  two  dollars 
and  forty  cents."  He  said,  almost  fiercely,  "I  want  two 
hundred  and  forty  dollars  !"  and  went  out,  resenting  a 
supposed  attempt  to  swindle  him.  His  hoarded  gold 
vrent  with  him.  He  had  watched  the  reports  of  the  rise 
of  gold,  and  failing  to  take  in  the  idea  of  per  cent.,  his 
dollar  had  grown,  in  his  eyes,  to  fifty  dollars — a  hundred 
— two  hundred — and  at  two  hundred  and  forty  dollars, 
the  excitement  of  inflation  had  culminated  in  fear  to 
hold  longer,  and  a  determination  to  realize. 

How  many  wiser  men  have  as  sadly  failed  to  "  real- 
ize "  since  the  fall  of  gold  ! 


A  GRANGER'S    IDEA. 

A  cashier  in  Iowa  reports  the  following  as  a  specimen 
of  the  average  "  granger  "  in  his  county  : 


248  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 

Old  Edwin  T.  has  an  unlimited  confidence  in  the 
integrity  of  bank  officers.  He  bought,  last  year,  a  cottage 
organ,  for  which  his  note  was  duly  given  for  $175,  with 
interest  at  10  per  cent,  payable  six  months  after  date, 
to  which  was  attached  a  property  statement,  "worth  in 
real  estate  $15,000,  and  personal  $5,000."  The  note 
being  received  by  this  bank  for  collection,  Edwin  was 
notified,  and  in  a  short  time  he  presents  and  delivers 
himself  thus : 

"  Mr.  R.,  I  am  unable  to  pay  that  note.  You  know  the 
times  are  hard,  hogs  are  bringing  little  or  nothing,  and 
I  find  it  out  of  the  question  to  pay  it  now  ;  but  I  want  to 
make  a  proposition  to  you,  or  to  the  owner  of  the  note  : 
I  have  a  friend  who  will  let  me  have  the  money  if  they 
will  throw  off  the  interest.  Now,  Mr.  R.,  I  will  pay  you  one 
dollar  if  you  will  write  to  them,  relating  all  the  facts,  and 
advising  them  to  accept  my  offer  !" 

The  munificent  proposition  was  respectfully  de- 
clined. 

* 

Cashier  Speer  of  Americus,  Ga.,  incloses  two  inci- 
dents (true  ones),  and  says  the  story  as  told  by  the 
simple  old  farmer  was  much  more  full  of  pathos  and 
poetry,  glowing  thoughts,  and  burning  words,  than  his 
reproduction  of  the  same  on  paper,  but  "  What  is  writ  is 
writ,  I  would  it  were  more  worthy" 

A   HUMBLE  INCIDENT. 

How  many  romances  in  real  life  remain  unwritten  ? 
How  many  sweet  idyls  remain  unsung  ?  How  many 


Miscellaneous.  249 

sons  of  toil  have  lived  out  their  allotted  days  full  of 
bright  hopes  and  grand  aspirations,  and  "  after  life's 
fitful  fever  they  sleep  well  "?  teaching  us  that  we  should 
not  despise  "the  short  and  simple  annals  of  the  poor." 
There  lived  a  few  years  ago,  and  may  live  there  still,  not 
remote  from  Americus,  Ga.,  an  honest,  hard-working 
man,  who  had  a  little  farm,  a  wife,  and  three  "  olive 
plants  "  to  cheer  him  onward  in  his  daily  toil,  and  after 
the  "former  and  latter  rains,"  kind  heaven  "blessed  him 
in  his  basket  and  in  his  store."  His  cotton  loaded  on 
his  wagon  for  the  morrow's  departure,  he  and  his  wife 
sat  up  late  into  the  overnight,  discussing  and  planning 
what  they  should  do  after  paying  their  debts,  and  as  his 
mother-in-law  (the  much  persecuted  relation)  had 
promised  them  a  visit  shortly,  he  must  buy  some  new 
but  inexpensive  furniture  to  adorn  their  humble  home, 
and  as  Christmas  was  near  at  hand,  must  not  forget 
"Santa  Glaus"  in  providing  toys  for  the  little  ones.  So 
early  morning  found  him  far  on  his  way  to  market,  the 
cotton  sold,  the  check  presented  at  bank  and  paid,  but 
unwittingly  he  leaves  on  the  counter  a  fifty  and  a  twenty 
dollar  bill,  which  the  banker  did  not  observe  at  the 
time,  and  the  man  being  a  stranger  to  him,  he  could 
only  wait  his  return.  He  paid  his  debts  and  then  dis- 
covered his  loss.  One  of  his  friends  suggested  to  him 
to  go  back  to  the  bank,  that  he  might  have  left  the 
money  there  ;  he  said  no,  he  saw  the  money  counted,  it 
was  all  right,  so  he  "  homeward  wended  his  weary  way," 
hope  and  joy  gone,  and  sadness  instead  filled  his  heart. 
His  debts  were  paid,  but  nothing  left  to  make  bright  and 
11* 


250  The  Bankers    Scrap-Book. 

cheerful  his  home — his  wife  met  him  at  the  gate  in  full 
expectation  of  the  treat  in  store  for  the  little  ones. 
What  was  her  dismay  ?  What  could  they  do  more  than 
"  hang  their  harps  upon  the  willows  "  and  "  sit  down  by 
the  ruins  at  Babylon  and  weep  "? 

It  was  some  weeks  before  he  returned  to  town  and 
found  that  his  money  was  safe.  It  was  then  he  told  the 
banker  this  story. 


SHIFTING    THE    RESPONSIBILITY. 

This  episode  in  a  banker's  experience  antedates  the 
"  late  unpleasantness  between  the  States  " — in  the  good 
old  days  of  free  banking — State  issues  ad  infinitum,  the 
same  transpiring  on  the  day  that  the  daily  papers  had 
made  this  announcement,  "  It  is  reported  that  the  Bank 
of  Columbus  has  suspended."  Customer,  in  drawling 
tones,  "  Mr.  S.,  I  want  you  to  take  eight  hundred  dollars 
that  I  owe  Mr.  H.,  and  give  me  your  receipt  for  it."  To 
expedite  business,  I  wrote  and  handed  him  receipt  for 
same.  After  deliberately  reading  it,  folds  it  and  puts  it 
deep  down  in  his  capacious  pocket  ;  then  slowly  pulls 
out  his  wallet  and  hands  over  the  money,  in  which  there 
is  a  fifty  dollar  bill  on  the  Bank  of  Columbus.  His  at- 
tention being  called  to  the  fact,  he  replies,  in  slow,  meas- 
ured words,  "It  is  with  you — you  are  responsible." 


Miscellaneous. 


251 


This  is  a  list  of  what  different  people  have  asked  us 
for  when  they  wanted  DEPOSIT  TICKETS. 


Depositing  checks. 
Depositing  blanks. 
Lodgment  blanks. 
Deposit  stumps. 
Deposit  slips. 
Deposit  sheets. 
Deposit  papers. 
Deposit  forms. 
Deposit  stubs. 
Deposit  cards. 
Deposit  vouchers. 
Deposit  heads. 
Record  slips. 
Entry  checks. 
Paying-in  checks. 
Paper  lists. 
Check  heads. 
Credit  tickets. 
Listing  sheets. 
Blank  forms. 
Slip  books. 


New  blanks. 

Heads. 

Backs. 

Pads. 

Notices, 

Bills. 

Tablets. 

Statements. 

Evidences, 

Dockets. 

Documents. 

Requisitions. 

Scrip. 

Certificates. 

Minutes. 

Entries. 

Slabs. 

Blocks. 

Tabs. 

Tags. 

Notes. 


AN  ANECDOTE  FROM  MONTREAL. 

Sandy  B ,  a  Scotchman,  who  boasts  of  his  wealth, 

was   asked  to  join  a  club  in  this   city.     "  Eh  !  mon,  I 
canna  afford  it"     "But,  Mr.  B ,  you're  as  rich  as 


252  The  Bankers'  Scrap- Book. 

Croesus."     "  Wall,  I  dunno  who  Croesus  is,  but  I'll  plant 
dollar  for  dollar  wuth  um." 


I  suppose  you  have  heard  of  the  man  who  went  into 
a  London  bank,  and  pitching  a  plate  upon  a  pile  of 
sovereigns  which  were  being  weighed,  answered  the 
clerk's  astonished  look  by  saying,  "  a  pound  of  butter, 
and  be  quick  about  it."  The  plate  was  carefully  handed 
back,  with  the  intimation  that  he  was  in  the  wrong  shop  ; 
the  man  went  off  grumbling,  and,  when  he  got  into  a 
quiet  corner  was  caught  by  a  detective  coolly  picking  off 
some  five  or  six  sovereigns  which  he  had  secured  by 
carefully  waxing  the  bottom  of  his  plate  before  going 
for  his  butter. 


SUIT  AGAINST  THE  QUEEN. 

A  queer  case  springs  from  the  failure  of  the  City  of 
Glasgow  Bank.  A  lady  died  recently  having  no  heirs 
and  leaving  no  will,  and  her  property  went  to  the 
Crown.  Among  her  possessions  was  some  of  the  stock, 
and  as  each  shareholder  is  individually  liable  for  the 
debts  it  is  proposed  to  hold  the  Queen  responsible  ! 
One  bank  which  had  taken  four  shares  from  a  customer 
in  its  debt  has  been  called  upon  to  put  its  whole  capital, 
^130,000,  at  the  order  of  the  directors  who  are  winding 
up  the  Glasgow  concern.  At  the  last  service  which  Mr. 
Lewis  Pelly,  one  of  the  imprisoned  directors,  attended, 
the  hymn  was,  "The  hour  of  my  departure's  come,"  and 
it  was  sung  to  the  ominous  tune  of  "  Duke  Street." 


Miscellaneous.  253 


SOLOMON'S  ADVICE. 

Just  after  the  strike,  when  Solomon  closed  the  dis- 
cussion by  telling  the  sluggard  to  go  to  the  ant,  the 
sluggard  replied  with  a  knowing  wink,  that  he  had  a 
much  softer  thing  than  that.  "As  how?"  inquired  the 
proverbial  monarch.  "  I  will  start  a  savings  bank,"  re- 
plied the  man  of  inertia.  The  monarch  nodded  slowly, 
twice  or  thrice,  and  went  away  to  get  shaved.  The  next 
time  he  met  the  sluggard  that  deliberate  individual  was 
riding  in  a  gold-mounted  carriage,  with  coachman  and 
footman  in  livery,  and  in  reply  to  the  monarch's  nod,  he 
just  pulled  up  to  say  that  he  was  going  over  to  Europe 
for  a  little  while  till  the  flurry  blew  over.  And  Solomon 
went  back  into  his  sanctum  and  wrote  :  "  Better  is  an 
handful  with  quietness  than  a  bank  book  as  big  as  a 
Bible  with  travail  and  vexation  of  spirit." 


THE  BANK  OF   ENGLAND. 

Mrs.  Jane  G.  Swisshelm  describes  a  visit  to  the  Bank 
of  England,  and  compares  its  dingy,  almost  shabby, 
appearance  with  the  palatial  banking  houses  erected  in 
this  country.  She  continues  :  "So  long  as  the  American 
people  trust  their  money  to  folks  because  they  have 
magnificent  banking  houses,  or  other  places  of  business, 
splendid  residences,  retinues  of  servants,  high-stepping 
horses,  glittering  coaches,  flashing  diamonds,  gauzy 
laces,  rustling  silks,  shimmering  satins,  and  sweeping 


254  The  Bankers   Scrap -Book. 

velvets,  so  long  do  they  prove  that  they  belong  to  that 
class  of  animated  nature  which  was  made  to  be  eaten, 
and  have  no  right  to  complain  when  the  eaters  eat 
them." 


NOTHING  BUT  A  BANKER. 

Said  a  pompous  man  of  money  to  Professor  Agassiz  : 
"  I  once  took  some  interest  in  natural  science  ;  but  I 
became  a  banker,  and  I  am  what  I  am  !" 

"  Ah  !"  replied  Agassiz,  "  my  father  procured  for  me 
a  place  in  a  bank  ;  but  I  begged  for  one  more  year  of 
study,  then  for  a  second,  then  for  a  third.  That  fixed 
my  fate,  sir.  If  it  had  not  been  for  that  little  firmness  of 
mine,  I  should  now  have  been  nothing  but  a  banker." 


THE    VALUE    OF    COURTESY. 

Stout,  of  the  Shoe  and  Leather  Bank,  New  York,  is 
celebrated  for  his  financial  success,  and  for  his  inexhaust- 
ble  good  nature.  He  is  never  so  busy  but  he  has  a  kind 
word  for  the  humblest.  When  they  are  rushing  things 
in  the  bank,  Mr.  Stout  always  finds  time  to  say,  "  Take  a 
seat ;  I'll  be  at  leisure  in  a  moment."  A  man  came  into 
the  bank  the  other  day  and  opened  an  account. 

"  I  came  here,"  he  said,  "  not  simply  because  I  knew 
my  money  would  be  safe  with  you,  but  because  you  are 

always  civil.  I  have  been  a  depositor  in  Bank 

for  many  years.  I  went  in  to-day  to  see  the  cashier.  I 
knew  him  when  he  had  no  society  to  boast  of,  and 


Miscellaneous.  255 

hardly  enough  money  to  pay  for  a  dinner  in  a  cheap  res- 
taurant. I  laid  my  hat  on  the  desk,  which  I  suppose  I 
had  no  business  to  do.  He  waved  his  hand  with  an  im- 
perious air,  and  said,  '  Take  this  hat  off.' 

"  I  removed  my  hat,  when  he  said,  '  Now  I  will  hear 
what  you  have  to  say.' 

" '  I  have  nothing  to  say  to  you/  I  replied. 

"  I  went  to  the  book-keeper,  ordered  my  account  to 
be  made  up,  took  the  bank's  check  for  $42,000,  and  this 
I  wish  to  deposit." 

The  president  and  cashier  represent  two  styles  of 
business  common  in  New  York.  Sauciness  does  not 
bear  a  high  commercial  value  among  the  financial  men 

of  the  city. 

» 

A    HEATHEN    BANKER. 

Muria  Kimata,  of  Tokio,  formed  a  company  to  lend 
money  to  the  poor  at  low  interest.  It  proved  a  failure, 
for  though  there  were  enough  poor  people  anxious  to 
borrow,  few  of  them  would  repay  their  loans.  Muria 
Kimata,  therefore,  had  to  abandon  his  project,  having 
lost  heavily  himself,  and  involved  many  of  his  friends 
with  him.  A  large  fortune,  however,  still  remained  to 
him.  On  the  anniversary  of  his  father's  death,  he  called 
the  stockholders  together,  and  out  of  his  private  means 
paid  to  each  the  amount  of  his  loss  ;  then,  placing  their 
receipts,  with  all  the  obligations  and  securities  given  to 
the  company  by  the  poor  borrowers,  in  a  brazier,  with 
incense,  he  burned  them  before  the  shrine  of  Hotoke 
Sama.  Muria  Kimata  is  a  heathen  idolater. 


256  The  Bankers    Scrap-Book, 

A  CRAZY  MAN'S  DESPERATE  LEAP. 

[FROM  THE  TROY  TIMES.] 

A  gentleman  who  had  been  cashier  of  a  bank  in  a 
western  city,  by  excessive  labor  and  great  domestic 
affliction  became  insane,  and  last  Fall  was  sent  to  the 
water  cure  at  Clifton  Springs,  with  a  constant  attendant, 
for  aid.  For  several  weeks  he  occupied  a  room  in  the 
fourth  story.  One  afternoon,  as  his  attendant  was  in  a 
doze  in  his  chair,  with  the  front  window  down  at  the 
top,  he  seized  a  pillow  from  the  bed  and  threw  it  out  of 
the  window  and  immediately  sprang  after  it,  to  the  utter 
consternation  of  the  attendant,  who  opened  his  eyes  to 
see  the  glimpse  of  his  patient  passing  out  almost  like  a 
shot.  Running  down  stairs  as  fast  as  his  speed  could 
make,  to  gather  up  the  supposed  mangled  remains,  he 
found  the  patient  had  "  lit,"  so  to  speak,  on  the  pillow 
on  the  piazza  roof,  some  30  feet  below,  and  was  not 
fatally  injured,  and  still  more  remarkable  was  the  fact 
that  the  shock  brought  him  to  his  senses,  and  he  has 
continued  rational  ever  since. 


AN  INCIDENT    OF    RESUMPTION. 

A  well-preserved  old  gentleman  entered  the  Sub- 
Treasury  building  on  Wednesday,  and  presented  35 
$1,000  called  bonds  for  redemption.  After  the  usual 
formalities  had  been  gone  through  with  and  the  neces- 
sary papers  signed,  the  clerk  placed  upon  the  counter 


Miscellaneous.  257 

seven  bags  containing  $5,000  each  in  gold  coin.  The 
old  gentleman  gasped  out : 

"  Wha — wha — what's  this  ?" 

"Your  $35,000,  sir,"  was  the  reply. 

"  But  I  don't  want  gold.  Give  me  legal  tenders.  I 
am  74  years  of  age,  and  I  can't  carry  those  about  with 
me,"  said  the  old  gentleman,  struggling  to  lift  one 
bag. 

"We  have  no  authority  to  pay  legal  tenders,  Sir. 
We  are  redeeming  called  bonds  in  gold." 

The  old  gentleman  expostulated,  but  in  vain.  He 
hurried  to  the  Gallatin  National  Bank  and  begged 
President  Tappen  to  get  him  out  of  his  scrape.  Mr. 
Tappen  explained  that  all  he  could  do  would  be  to  re- 
ceive the  gold  on  deposit  and  allow  him  to  draw  a  check 
against  it.  The  old  gentleman  was  delighted.  He  said 
he  did  not  care  what  the  arrangement  was  so  that  he 
could  obtain  greenbacks  instead  of  the  gold.  The  bank's 
porter  was  sent  after  the  bags,  the  deposit  was  made,  the 
check  drawn,  and  the  old  gentleman  went  on  his  way 

rejoicing. 

» 

SOME  BONDS  FIND  THEIR  OWNER  AT  LAST. 

A  singular  incident  in  banking  experience  has 
happened  in  the  course  of  the  business  transactions  of 
Messrs.  H.  H.  Hughes  &  Co.,  bankers  in  Cincinnati. 
Nine  and  a  half  years  ago  one  Hugh  Williams  left  7-30 
United  States  bonds  to  the  amount  of  $1,200  to  be  ex- 
changed for  5-203.  The  bankers  effected  the  exchange, 


258  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 

but  found  that  Mr.  Williams  had  neglected  to  leave  his 
address,  and  his  name  could  not  be  found  in  the  direc- 
tories. Time  ran  on  and  this  special  deposit  was  carried 
forward  from  year  to  year  by  the  bankers  for  nine  and  a 
half  years,  and  till  quite  recently.  Mr.  Williams  had 
completely  disappeared.  Lately,  on  examining  the 
record  of  special  deposits  a  clerk  remarked  :  "  Where 
can  Mr.  Williams  be  ?"  Mr.  Harry  Hughes,  overhearing 
the  remark,  said  he  had  a  classmate  named  Williams, 
who  came  from  Paddy's  Run,  Butler  County.  A  friend 
(Rev.  Mr.  Chidlaw)  who  lived  at  Paddy's  Run,  was 
written  to,  and  he  was  asked  if  he  happened  to  know 
one  Hugh  Williams.  He  replied  that  Williams  was  his 
brother-in-law  ;  that  he  had  been  dead  eight  years  ;  that 
his  estate  had  been  settled  up,  and  that  there  was  no 
memorandum  found  among  his  papers  showing  the 
ownership  of  the  bonds  in  question.  The  executor  of 
Hugh  Williams  came  to  the  city  recently,  identified  him- 
self to  Messrs.  Hughes  &  Co.,  and  received  the  bonds,  to 
which  were  attached  the  coupons  due  since  1868. 


THE    PUZZLED  DUTCHMAN. 

Warp  Borgman  was  as  honest  a  young  Dutchman  as 
ever  lived.  He  had  only  worked  with  us  a  short  time, 
say  three  months,  and  had  not  asked  for  any  pay.  As 
he  never  used  tobacco  or  went  out  with  the  boys  I  was 
not  surprised.  However,  the  time  came  at  last.  He 
wanted  six  dollars,  and  said  : 

"  The  year  is  about  up  when  my  interest  is  due  on 


Miscellaneous.  259 

the  $100  I  let  Mr.  Klinefetter  have  to  keep  for  me,  and  I 
must  pay  him." 

It  took  a  great  deal  of  time  and  patience  to  convince 
him  that  Klinefetter  owed  him  $106 — and  no  doubt  he 
yet  is  in  a  mystery  of  fog,  to  know  how  a  man  can  go 
to  the  expense  of  keeping  up  a  safe,  vault,  building, 
clerks,  book-keepers,  &c.,  all  for  nothing,  and  then  pay 
for  a  chance  to  take  care  of  other  people's  money.  Will 
some  one  write  to  him  and  explain  ? 


RUBBING  OUT  AN  OLD  SCORE. 

About  twenty-five  years  ago  the  undersigned,  in  part- 
nership with  an  elderly  gentleman  by  the  name  of  Lan- 
ing,  began  on  a  limited  scale  the  mercantile  business  in 
the  then  village  of  Petersburg.  Our  store-room  was  a 
small  concern  about  twenty  by  forty  feet,  and  our  daily 
sales  did  not  exceed,  twenty-five  dollars,  the  greater 
portion  being  on  a  credit  of  twelve  months.  My  partner, 
Jacob  Laning  (familiarly  known  as  "  Uncle  Jake  ")  was 
from  New  Jersey,  a  man  small  in  stature  but  possessed 
of  a  clear  business  mind. 

Among  our  country  customers  was  one  whom  we 
will  call  "  Bill  Thomas,"  who  was  a  continual  source  of 
annoyance.  His  trade  in  the  course  of  a  year  did  not 
amount  to  much,  and  yet  he  invariably  beat  us  in  every 
bargain,  and  what  goods  he  did  buy,  he  managed  to  get 
at  less  than  first  cost.  Thomas  was  a  close,  slippery 
customer,  full  of  blarney  and  flatter}',  and  whose  moral 
integrity  was  not  above  question. 


260  The  Bankers    Scrap-Book. 

After  this  state  of  things  had  existed  for  some  years, 
we  held  a  council  of  war  one  day  and  it  was  unanimously 
decided  that  Thomas  was  to  suffer  for  some  of  his  many 
misdeeds  in  our  next  transaction  with  him.  We  had  not 
long  to  wait ;  standing  in  the  front  of  our  store  one  day 
we  espied  him  coming  into  town.  After  some  disputing 
as  to  which  of  us  should  tackle  him,  each  claiming  to 
have  been  the  worst  skinned  by  him,  my  partner  being 
the  elder,  I  succumbed,  and  took  my  position  near  the 
stove  in  company  with  Mr.  Laning's  eldest  son,  Ed.,  who 
came  into  the  store  just  at  this  time.  I  told  him  that  his 
father  was  going  to  "go  for"  Bill  Thomas,  who  would 
be  in  the  store  in  a  few  minutes.  Enter  Thomas.  "  How 
do  you  do,  Uncle  Jake  :  you  don't  seem  to  get  any  older. 
I  believe  you  are  better  and  younger  looking  every  time 
I  see  you.  Do  you  buy  furs  here,  Uncle  Jake?"  Here 
was  a  stunner.  We  never  had  dealt  any  in  furs,  and 
Uncle  Jake  was  as  ignorant  of  their  value  as  a  hog  is  of 
logarithms,  but  fearing  he  might  lose  this  opportunity 
to  shave  Thomas,  he  said  : 

"  Well,  I  don't  know,  Bill,  what  have  you?" 
"Two  fine  possum  skins,"  said  he,  producing  the 
pelts  of  two  of  the  smallest  specimens  of  the  opossum 
family.  "  They  offered  me  twenty-five  cents  a  piece  for 
these  over  yonder,  but  as  I  like  you,  and  do  all  my  trad- 
ing with  you,  I  will  let  you  have  them  at  twenty  cents 
each."  The  trade  was  soon  consummated,  and  now  for 
the  bargain  in  which  Uncle  Jake  was  to  clear  "old 
scores."  After  striving  in  vain  to  sell  him  a  bill,  he  was 
beginning  to  despair,  when  Thomas  spied  the  tobacco  box. 


Miscellaneous.  261 

"  How  do  you  sell  these  plugs,  Uncle  Jake  ?"  This 
tobacco  was  as  staple  at  25  cents  per  plug  as  calico  or 
domestic  was  at  the  same  price  in  those  days. 

"  This  tobacco  ns  worth  25  cents  a  plug,  Bill,  and 
can't  be  bought  for  any  less  in  town." 

"  Oh,  Uncle  Jake,  now  you  can  let  me  have  them  for 
20  cents  apiece." 

"  No,  I  can't,  Bill,  they  cost  that." 

"  See  here  now,  Uncle  Jake.  I  sold  you  my  furs 
under  price,  and  you  must  let  me  have  these  two  plugs 
for  my  furs."  After  haggling  for  some  time,  Thomas 
won  the  day,  Uncle  Jake  thinking  to  get  him  started 
once,  and  go  for  him  on  something  he  was  not  posted 
in.  But  Bill  was  too  smart  for  him,  and  would  not  bite 
for  another  cent's  worth,  and  went  on  his  way  rejoicing. 

We  could  hold  in  no  longer,  but  burst  into  shouts  of 
laughter  at  the  way  in  which  the  old  man  had  been  sold. 
We  joked  him  a  great  deal,  and  told  all  the  jokers  in 
town  of  it,  and  it  was  a  long  time  till  he  heard  the  last  of  it. 

That  night  his  son  Ed.  (who,  by  the  way,  was  one  of 
the  worst  boys  in  town)  and  I  cut  the  legs  off  of  one  side 
of  both  skins  and  rubbed  a  little  dirt  over  them,  and  the 
next  morning  showed  them  to  him  and  said  : 

"  See  here,  Thomas  cut  one  skin  in  two,  and.  sold  it 
to  you  for  two  skins,"  placing  them  side  by  side,  making 
them  look  like  one. 

"  That's  so  ;  by  George,  I  never  saw  such  a  rascal  in 
all  my  life.  The  skins  were  not  worth  five  cents  apiece." 

After  the  lapse  of  seventeen  years,  I  went  into  the 
banking  business  here,  in  partnership  with  the  Hon. 
Wm.  G.  Greene,  one  of  the  wealthiest  old  farmers  in  the 


262  The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 

county  ;  the  style  of  the  firm  was  Brahm  and  Greene. 
I  had  always  told  Mr.  Laning  I  intended  some  day  to 
make  Bill  Thomas  pay  him  the  forty  cents  he  swindled 
him  out  of  in  the  "  opossum  skin  trade." 

Not  long  since,  Thomas  came  into  the  bank  to  bor- 
row forty  dollars  on  60  days'  time.  I  told  him  times 
were  hard,  money  scarce,  and  upon  the  whole  I  could 
not  let  him  have  it.  He  insisted  very  strongly,  and 
offered  good  security.  Said  I,  "  Bill,  you  are  getting 
along  in  years  now,  and  you  ought  to  fix  that  matter  up 
with  Uncle  Jake ;  you  ought  not  to  die  with  that  item 
charged  up  against  you." 

"  Now,  Brahm,  you  must  '  take  a  rest '  on  that  old 
joke  ;  you  have  told  it  to  every  man  in  the  county." 

He  kept  insisting  on  my  letting  him  have  the  money, 
and  I  finally  said  :  "If  you  will  pay  Uncle  Jake  that  40 
cents  and  interest  at  10  per  cent.,  Bill,  I  will  let  you 
have  the  money."  After  demurring  a  while,  he  finally 
agreed,  and  I  made  him  the  loan,  and  kept  out  $2.03,  the 
amount  due  Uncle  Jake  on  the  "opossum  skin  trade." 
After  he  left  the  bank,  I  went  in  search  of  Mr.  Laning, 
and  told  him  I  had  collected  the  40  cents  off  of  Bill,  with 
the  interest.  He  at  first  refused  to  receive  the  money, 
but  I  insisted  that  he  should  take  it,  as  Thomas  justly 
owed  it,  and  it  would  spoil  a  good  story,  if  he  didn't 
keep  it,  to  which  he  at  last  agreed. 

JOHN  A.  BRAHM, 
of  the  firm  of 

Brahm  &  Greene, 

Petersburg, 
Illinois. 


Miscellaneous.  263 


DEATH    IN    LIFE. 

The  other  day  I  heard  a  cabinet  minister  talking  to  a 
young  chap  who  wanted  a  place. 

"My  young  friend,"  said  he,  "don't  apply.  Saw 
wood,  drive  cows,  anything  honorable,  but  preserve  your 
independence.  I  have  a  man  in  my  department  who  has 
been  in  forty  years." 

"  Forty  years  ?" 

"  Yes,  every  day  of  it.  He  came  in  in  1836.  Well, 
he  gets  about  the  same  salary  he  had  to  commence  with. 
The  other  day  he  came  to  me,  saying  :  '  I  ought  to  have 
died  forty  years  ago.'  'You  don't  mean  that,'  I  said. 
'  Yes,'  said  he,  '  I  mean  that  I  have  been  buried  in  this 
building  forty  years,  and  I  had  just  as  well  been  buried 
in  the  grave.  What's  the  difference  between  tombs  ?  Of 
what  advantage  have  I  been  to  myself  in  here  ?  I  had 
nothing  when  I  came  in,  and  have  got  nothing  now.  I 
am  disqualified  for  anything.  If  I  were  turned  out  to- 
day, I  would  starve  to-morrow.'  So  much  for  a  govern- 
ment position,  or  a  banker's  clerkship,  that  young  men 
are  so  anxious  to  obtain.  They  had  better  let  it  alone." 


"THAT'S    MY    NAME." 

A  man  forty  years  old,  and  as  long  as  a  rail,  went 
into  one  of  the  banks  of  Detroit  to  get  the  cash  on  a 
thirteen  dollar  check,  drawn  by  a  party  living  in  Nankin 
township. 


264  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 

"You  will  have  to  be  identified,"  said  the  cashier,  as 
he  looked  at  the  check. 

"I'm  the  man,"  was  the  reply. 

"But  I  don't  know  who  you  are." 

"But  I  do." 

"  You  must  bring  some  one  here  who  knows  you." 

"Don't  I  know  myself?"  exclaimed  the  check  ten- 
derer. 

"  But  I  must  know  you.  You  may  be  Tom  Jones  for 
all  that  I  know." 

"  You  must  be  a  consarned  fool  to  think  I'm  some 
one  else,"  growled  the  man  in  response. 

"You  must  be  identified,"  observed  the  cashier. 

"That's  my  name,  I  tell  ye,  and  this  is  me,  and  if  this 
bank  gets  me  riled,  I'll  lick  the  whole  crowd  of  you  over 
behind  the  railing  !" 

The  cashier  wouldn't  pay,  and  the  man  couldn't  find 
any  one  who  knew  him,  and  at  noon  he  was  waiting 
"  for  the  feller  who  sassed  him  to  come  out." 


A  SMART  CLERK. 

Adolph  Z.  is  young,  not  unprepossessing,  and  a  clerk 
in  a  wealthy  banker's  office  in  Paris,  on  a  salary  of  $600 
a  year.  The  banker  has  a  pretty  daughter  of  eighteen. 
Adolph  has  not  a  cent,  but  that  does  not  deter  him 
from  waiting  upon  his  employer  one  morning,  and  say- 
ing :  "  Sir,  I  have  the  honor  of  asking  your  daughter's 
hand  in  marriage."  The  banker,  astonished,  rang  the 


Miscellaneous.  265 

bell,  and  told  the  waiter  to  throw  Adolph  out  of  the  win- 
dow. "As  you  please,"  calmly  said  the  young  clerk, 
"but  before  that  is  done  learn  that  I  am  about  to  become 
a  partner  in  the  London  house  of  Bathurst  &  Co."  At 
this  the  banker  softens.  "  The  proof,  sir,  the  proof  of 
what  you  say."  "  Give  me  forty-eight  hours  in  which  to 
go  to  England,  and  I  will  bring  you  the  proof."  Adolph 
hurries  to  London,  presents  himself  at  the  office  of 
Bathurst  &  Co.,  and  says  :  "  I  have  come  to  propose  that 
you  take  me  as  a  partner,"  and,  as  Mr.  Bathurst  looks 
as  though  he  thought  Adolph  demented,  he  adds  :  "  I  am 
about  to  marry  the  daughter  of  M.  P.,  of  Paris."  Adolph 
is  thereupon  asked  to  be  seated,  they  converse,  and 
come  to  terms.  The  bright  young  man  returns  to  Paris, 
carrying  to  his  future  father-in-law  the  proof  of  his 
statement,  and  the  young  people  are>wedded. 


VANDERBILT'S    RULE    FOR    GETTING    RICH. 

The  New  York  Tribune  has  the  following  :  Commo- 
dore Vanderbilt  seemed  to  be  in  an  unusually  communi- 
cative mood,  for  he  made  the  following  suggestions  to 
the  reporter :  "  When  you  have  lived,  sir,  to  carry  as 
many  gray  hairs  as  I  do,  you  will  have  learned  that  there 
is  little  sympathy  with,  or  appreciation  of  your  efforts, 
it  matters  little  what  may  be  the  circumstances.  If  you 
are  successful  in  accumulating  a  fortune,  you  will  be 
called  a  speculator  and  a  monopolist,  while,  if  you  should 
fail  to  amass  riches,  it  will  all  be  about  the  same,  as  you 


266  The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 

will  be  talked  of,  in  that  case,  as  one  who  does  not 
amount  to  much  anyhow.  I  have  never  speculated  on 
the  market,  and  regard  it  as  nothing  less  than  a  gam- 
bling operation.  When  I  was  thirty  years  old,  I  had 
been  working,  for  several  years,  for  my  employer,  at 
$1,000  a  year,  and  when  I  left  him  I  had  not  more  than 
$2,000,  all  told." 

"After  a  long  and  very  successful  life,  Commodore, 
what,  in  your  opinion,  is  the  true  secret  of  success  in 
making  money  ?" 

"Save  what  you  have  and  live  within  your  income. 
Avoid  all  speculation.  No  matter  what  I  was  making, 
I  always  made  it  a  rule  to  save  something,  and  this 
course,  if  persisted  in,  is  sure  to  succeed.  The  money 
will  pile  up  in  time." 


CONVICT    SPECULATORS. 

HOW    CALIFORNIA    CONVICTS    TURN    HONEST    PENNIES. 

A  correspondent  of  the  San  Francisco  Chronicle,  writ- 
ing from  San  Quentin,  where  the  California  State  Prison 
is  situated,  says  : 

"  Many  prisoners  have  accumulated  considerable 
sums  of  money  by  their  overwork  and  the  sale  of  fancy 
articles  manufactured  during  their  leisure.  Others  are 
possessed  of  means,  and  carry  on  a  general  banking  busi- 
ness in  the  prison,  loaning  to  their  fellow-convicts  at 
San  Quentin,  at  rates  of  interest  which  vary  through  a 
wide  range.  Recently  one  of  the  officers  was  called  to 


POPULAR    PICTURES. 
THE  BANK  CLERK  OFF  DUTY.— Page  267. 


Miscellaneous.  267 

arbitrate  concerning  a  demand  for  $17  made  by  one 
prisoner  upon  another.  The  debtor  denied  a  greater 
liability  than  $5,  whereupon  the  exacting  creditor  ex- 
plained the  discrepancy  by  stating  that  his  rate  of  inter- 
est was  ten  per  centum  a  day,  and  the  debt  had  been 
running  some  weeks.  The  officer  pronounced  the  de- 
mand disgraceful  to  the  San  Quentin  bourse,  and 
declined  to  urge  its  acknowledgment." 


POPULAR  PICTURES— THE  BANK   CLERK. 

As  you  enter  the  bank  he  is  standing  in  a  statuesque 
position  against  the  walnut  counter,  gazing  dreamily 
through  the  thick  plate  glass  into  the  street.  You  have 
come  to  make  a  deposit,  and  you  want  to  do  it  in  a 
hurry,  as  you  live  out  of  town,  and  there  isn't  more  than 
enough  time  to  catch  the  boat.  So  when  you  see  that 
he  is  still  busily  watching  a  young  lady  who  is  getting 
out  of  a  stage,  you  cough,  and  tap  on  the  window. 
Presently  he  becomes  vaguely  aware  that  some  one 
needs  his  attention.  The  smile  that  has  been  playing 
about  his  natty  mustache  goes  off  to  play  somewhere 
else,  and  the  frown  of  business  takes  its  place.  "  Come, 
now,  hurry  up,"  he  says,  "can't  wait  for  you  all  day," 
and  he  says  it  so  honestly  that  you  are  forced  into  beg- 
ging his  pardon,  and  have  that  depre'ciating  opinion  of 
yourself  which  almost  prompts  you  to  tender  him  a 
cigar.  He  takes  your  book,  flips  it  upside  down  on  the 
counter,  seizes  the  ticket  with  the  second  motion  of  the 


268  The  Bankers    Scrap-Book. 

arm,  and  is  about  to  impale  it  on  his  file  when  he  notices 
that  you  haven't  written  the  date  in.  He  hands  it  back, 
and  waves  you  to  a  dark  desk  in  the  corner  of  the  room, 
which  is  designed  for  the  use  of  the  public.  Such  being 
the  case,  it  is  quite  natural  that  there  should  be  no  pens 
there.  When  at  last  you  borrow  a  pen  from  the  note-clerk, 
whom  you  know  slightly,  you  find  that  there  is  no  ink 
in  the  stand.  All  this  time  they  are  ringing  the  first  bell 
of  the  boat,  and  you  are  rendered  desperate  by  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  fact.  Finally  the  date  is  written,  you  rush 
back,  and  have  to  take  your  place  at  the  tail  end  of  a  line 
which  has  formed  during  your  absence.  In  such  cases 
there  is  always  some  man  before  you  who  wants  interest 
calculated,  or  who  wishes  to  know  the  collection  charge 
on  Oshkosh,  having  in  his  deposit  a  greasy  draft  for  $11 
on  that  far-away  spot.,  Just  as  your  time  comes,  and  you 
get  your  hand  through  the  window,  the  clerk  recollects 
that  he  wants  a  drink  of  water.  So  he  goes  over  to  the 
cooler,  drinks  calmly  and  deliberately,  and  stops  on  his 
way  back  to  ask  Jenkins,  one  of  the  bookkeepers,  who  it 
is  that  is  going  to  play  "  short  stop  "  on  the  occasion  of 
the  coming  match  with  the  Accident  Insurance  Club. 
The  result  is  evident.  You  miss  your  boat,  have  to  stay 
in  town  all  night,  to  find,  the  next  day,  that  your  wife  is 
in  tears  and  her  bonnet,  determined  to  go  home  to  her 
mother  ;  or  you  rush  madly  out  of  the  bank,  get  stopped 
at  the  corner  by  a  policemen,  who  is  sure  that  you  have 
a  package  of  stolen  bonds  under  your  coat  ;  explain  ex- 
citedly, to  the  amusement  of  the  crowd  ;  rush  on  down 
to  the  wharf,  and  get  hauled  on  board  by  two  of  the 


Miscellaneous.  269 

deck  hands,  just  as  the  boat  is  moving  into  the  streamj 
only  to  remember,  when  you  are  a  hundred  feet  from 
shore,  that  you  forgot  to  have  a  note  extended,  and  that 
it  will  be  sent  to  protest  in  the  morning. 

This  kind  of  clerk  is  .quite  an  elegant  individual. 
He  dresses  nicely,  wears  rings,  and  parts  his  hair  in  the 
middle.  He  always  rides  up  and  down  town  in  a  stage, 
consults  the  Stock  Exchange  tape  when  he  goes  to  lunch, 
and  firmly  believes  that  he  will  yet  make  a  colossal  for- 
tune on  the  street.  Sometimes  he  tries  to  declare  a 
larger  dividend  than  the  bank,  and,  in  such  cases,  it  is 
not  unlikely  that  he  buys  a  ticket  for  out  West,  and 
takes  to  driving  mules  on  the  plains.  Or  he  may  run 
over  to  Europe  for  his  health.  If  he  happens  to  be  a 
paying  teller,  he  is  still  more  dignified  than  the  gentle- 
man who  receives  your  money.  You  present  a  check  to 
him.  He  takes  it,  turns  it  over,  looks  at  the  indorse- 
ment, compares  the  signature  with  the  one  in  the  depos- 
itors' register,  looks  at  you,  then  glances  over  in  the 
corner  to  see  that  the  bank  detective  is  at  his  post,  and 
finally  asks  you  how  you  will  have  it.  "  In  fives  and 
twenties,  if  you  please,"  you  say.  So  he  gives  you  tens 
and  fifties.  You  take  the  money  without  a  word,  and 
are  conscious  that  you  are  leaving  the  bank  with  a  guilty 
air,  and  that  the  teller's  eye  is  on  you. 

There  never  was  yet  a  bank  without  its  patriarchal 
clerk.  He  is  always  small,  always  bent  at  the  shoulders, 
always  wears  glasses,  always  sits  on  a  preposterously 
high  stool,  is  gray  headed,  speaks  in  a  squeaky  voice, 
and  invariably  has  a  cold,  and  a  gigantic  red  handker- 


270  The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 

chief  for  its  accommodation.  The  junior  clerks  have  a 
legend  among  them  that  he  was  left  as  a  foundling  on 
the  bank  steps  eighty  years  ago,  and  has  been  with  the 
institution  ever  since.  He  is  first  at  the  bank  in  the 
morning,  sitting  on  his  stool,  and  the  last  at  night,  still 
sitting  on  his  stool.  He  never  goes  out  to  lunch,  but 
nibbles  at  a  bit  of  cheese  which  he  keeps  in  a  dark 
drawer.  It  is  sometimes  believed  that  he  never  leaves 
the  house,  but  sleeps  at  night  in  the  iron  safe,  curled  up 
on  one  of  the  gigantic  ledgers.  But  this  is  a  mere 
rumor. 

With  all  his  peculiarities,  the  bank  clerk  is  not  a  bad 
fellow.  He  recognizes,  of  course,  that  fate  has  arrayed 
him  against  society,  and  it  is  only  necessary  to  remember 
this  fact  in  order  to  excuse  his  brusquerie.  His  life  is  a 
monotonous  one.  At  ten  o'clock  his  window  opens  with 
a  click  ;  at  three  o'clock  it  closes  with  a  bang  ;  and  be- 
tween those  hours  he  is  busy  counting  dirty  bank  notes, 
answering  idiotic  questions,  adding  up  gigantic  columns 
of  figures,  watching  the  young  ladies  in  the  street,  and 
consulting  the  ledgers.  Outside  the  window  are  the 
lines  of  depositors,  check  drawers,  and  other  varieties  of 
bank  customers.  He  has  to  keep  a  keen  watch  for  coun- 
terfeit money  and  forged  signatures,  and — for  the  young 
ladies.  When  we  reflect,  then,  how  difficult  it  is  for  a 
young  man  to  count  a  package  of  notes  half  of  which 
are  upside  down,  or  examine  a  signature  written  by  a 
depositor  the  morning  after  a  wine  supper,  and  at  the 
same  time  miss  no  dainty  promenader  on  Broadway,  if 
such  be  the  street,  we  can  appreciate  the  laboriousness  of 


Miscellaneous.  271 

the  situation,  and  agree  with  him  that  he  is  an  ill-used 
and  much  underpaid  individual. 

— New  York  Evening  Post. 


Brother  Coffin,  Cashier  Richmond  National  Bank, 
Indiana,  contributes  the  following  good  ones  for  our 
million  readers  : 

A   WRONG  COUNT. 

DIALOGUE. 

Farmer  (who  has  been  paid  parcel  of  $500,  duly 
banded  and  proved).  See  here !  this  yere  parcel  ain't 
right. 

Teller.     Oh,  I  guess  it  is — have  you  counted  it  ? 

Farmer.  Well,  I  reckon  I  have.  I  counted  it  four 
times. 

Teller.     What  did  you  make  it  ? 

Farmer.  Why,  I  made  it  $490,  $485,  $495,  and  $505, 
and  I  know  it  ain't  right. 

LIGHT   WEIGHT. 

A  rare  old  examiner  was  Judge  Samuel  Perkins,  first 
president  of  the  State  Bank  of  Indiana.  On  his  first  visit 
of  inspection  to  the  Richmond  Branch,  he  found  its  re- 
serve fund  (silver  coin  was  the  sole  reserve  of  those 
days)  all  put  up  in  kegs.  Slowly  and  painfully  he 
counted  the  contents  of  one  keg.  Night  was  approach- 


272  The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 

ing.  "Well,"  says  he,  "I'll  'heft'  the  balance  ;"  so  he 
proceeded  to  "  heft  "  them,  and  announced  that  one  keg 
was  evidently  short  weight.  It  was  duly  opened  and 
counted,  and  found  to  be  short  twenty-five  cents. 

THE  BANK  THAT  LASTED  A  DAY. 

A  few  years  ago,  an  old  German  living  at  Hamilton, 
Ohio,  who  had  accumulated  wealth  by  hard  labor, 
thought  he  would  enjoy  the  ease  of  the  banking  business, 
with  its  well-known  freedom  from  care,  and  rapid  accu- 
mulation of  wealth,  so  he  opened  out  an  office  in  due 
form.  The  first  customer  applied  for  a  loan  of  $500. 
After  a  prodigious  amount  of  investigation,  and  on 
receipt  of  undoubted  security,  the  loan  was  duly  made. 
The  second  customer  appeared  with  a  like  request. 
This  excited  our  worthy  friend  to  a  high  degree,  and  he 
answers  hotly  that  he  has  already  made  one  loan,  and 
"  by  Gosh  !"  he  wants  to  see  if  that  is  paid  before  he 
loans  any  more.  The  next  customer  wanted  "  change 
for  a  ten,"1  and  was  duly  accommodated  in  haste ;  what 
was  the  chagrin  of  our  worthy  friend,  to  discover  a  few 
minutes  later  that  it  was  a  base  counterfeit  ;  saddened 
and  disgusted  with  his  experience,  he  closed  his  doors  at 
night  and  abandoned  the  business  forever. 


Tnts  is  a  fine  passage  of  Paulding's  : 
"  Nothing  is  more  easy  than  to  grow  rich.     It  is  only 
to  trust  nobody,  befriend  no  one  ;  to  heap  interest  upon 


Miscellaneous.  273 

interest,  cent  upon  cent ;  to  destroy  all  the  finer  feelings 
of  nature,  and  be  rendered  mean,  miserable,  and  despised 
for  some  twenty  or  thirty  years,  and  riches  will  come  as 
sure  as  disease,  disappointment,  and  a  miserable  death." 


THE    ALMIGHTY    DOLLAR. 

Harper's  Drawer  puts  upon  record,  for  the  informa- 
tion of  its  hundreds  of  thousands  of  readers,  the  name  of 
the  author  of  that  humorous  phrase  that  now  passes  cur- 
rent in  the  wit  of  both  hemispheres,  "  The  Almighty 
Dollar."  The  expression  originated  with  Washington 
Irving,  in  '*  The  Creole  Village." 

"  The  Almighty  Dollar,  that  great  object  of  universal 
devotion  throughout  our  land,  seems  to  have  no  de- 
votees in  these  peculiar  villages." 

In  the  last  edition  of  Mr.  Irving's  works,  in  a  foot- 
note, he  says  :  "  This  phrase,  used  for  the  first  time  in 
this  sketch,  has  since  passed  into  current  circulation, 
and  by  some  has  been  questioned  as  savoring  of  irrever- 
ence. The  author,  therefore,  owes  it  to  his  orthodoxy  to 
declare  that  no  irreverence  was  intended,  even  to  the  dollar 
itself,  which  he  is  aware  is  daily  becoming  more  and 
more  an  object  of  worship." 


SOMETIMES  EASILY  MISTAKEN. 

A  well-to-do  farmer  having  purchased  a  draft  at  his 

banker's,  and  days .. and  weeks  having  elapsed  without 
12* 


274  The  Bankers    Scrap-Book. 

having  received  any  acknowledgment  of  same,  he  writes 
to  his  friends  for  an  explanation.  In  due  time,  he  is  in- 
formed that  the  draft  had  never  been  received,  and  advised 
to  go  to  the  bank  immediately  and  obtain  a  duplicate. 
He  goes  to  the  bank  and  makes  known  his  business.  After 
the  cashier  had  asked  the  usual  questions  as  to  the  possi- 
bility of  his  letter  having  been  misdirected,  unstamped, 
&c.,  &c.,  the  farmer  very  promptly  replied  that  his  mind 
was  clear  as  to  the  correctness  of  his  part  of  the  business, 
and  that  he  remembered  very  distinctly  of  having  purchased 
the  draft,  and  writing  his  letter  then  and  there,  inclosing 
it  with  draft  in  a  stamped  envelope,  addressing  it  properly, 
and  depositing  it  in  the  Post  Office  himself. 

"  N'ow,"  says  he,  "  the  money  has  never  reached  its  des- 
tination, and  I  will  show  you  a  letter  from  the  parties  to 
whom  the  draft  was  sent  ;"  and,  in  reaching  into  his 
pocket  for  the  letter,  he  accidentally  pulls  out  the  one 
containing  the  draft,  which  he  was  so  positive  of  having 
mailed.  Farmer  wilts. 


"REVOLUTION  TAX." 

During  the  late  war,  when  the  government  was  taxing 
its  citizens  on  their  annual  incomes,  a  gentleman  who 
was  not  an  extensive  reader  of  political  economy,  and 
whose  income  for  the  past  year  had  come  within  the 
limits  of  the  law,  went  to  his  county  town  for  the 
purpose  of  paying  his  tax.  After  looking  around  for 
the  proper  officer  to  receive  his  money,  he  came  across  a 
National  Bank,  which  he  thought  might  be  the  proper 


Miscellaneous.  275 

place  to  receive  revenue  taxes,  so  he  entered  the  bank, 
and  walking  up  to  the  teller's  window,  in  a  very  patri- 
otic manner  inquired  if  that  was  the  place  to  pay  the 
"Revolution  Tax"  Another  inquiring  genius  called  on 
us  the  other  day  for  a  marriage  license. 


WANT    OF   "EDDICATION." 

An  honest  farmer  called  at  a  bank  and  paid  a  collec- 
tion note  of  $32.  Soon  he  called  again,  and  said  he  had 
lost  a  $10  bill.  Teller  had  found  no  error,  nor  any 
stray  $10.  Farmer  then  said  he  must  have  dropped  it  at 
the  warehouse,  half  a  mile  away.  Thither  he  trudged, 
through  a  cold  December  rain,  and  mud  ankle-deep. 
Returned  in  an  hour  or  two,  wet  and  chilled.  No 
success.  Teller  finally  concluded  to  question  him. 
How  much  money  had  you  when  you  came  to  town  ? 
Ans.  $17.  How  much  was  paid  to  you  at  the  ware- 
house ?  Ans.  $25.  How  much  have  you  now  in  your 
pocket  ?  Ans.  (mournfully)  Only  $7.  I  must  have 
dropped  a  $10  bill  somewhere,  he  repeated.  Well,  says 
the  teller, 

You  had  in  the  morning    .        .        .  $17 

You  received  at  the  warehouse  .        ...       25 


Making       ....     $42 
You  paid  me        .        .    $32 
You  have  on  hand       .         7           Making        39 


Leaving  you  short  only   ...       $3 


276  The  Bankers    Scrap-Book. 

The  farmer  felt  better,  and  concluded  he  would  not 
tramp  around  any  more  in  the  rain  and  mud  looking  for 
that,  which,  after  all,  might  be  in  his  pocket.  So  much 
for  the  want  of  a  little  idea  of  figuring. 


WATCH  HOW  YOUR  CUSTOMERS  SPIT. 

A  stranger  enters  an  Ohio  bank,  and  presents  a  check, 
which  is  cashed.  He  carefully  counts  over  the  money, 
and  very  adroitly  manages  to  let  a  large  bill  fall  upon 
the  floor  unseen  to  the  teller. 

The  teller  is  informed  that  the  money  is  short,  and 
takes  it  back,  and  while  he  is  testing  the  correctness  of 
his  former  count,  his  customer  has  occasion  to  spit,  and  in 
doing  so,  the  teller  notices  the  eyes  of  the  stranger  some- 
what riveted  upon  the  floor. 

Mr.  Teller's  suspicions  being  somewhat  aroused,  im- 
mediately leaves  his  window,  and  starts  for  the  outside 
of  the  counter^  and  as  he  passes  through  the  gate,  Mr. 
Stranger  is  seen  picking  up  the  missing  bill,  who  con- 
cludes the  count  was  all  right,  after  all.  His  excuse  for 
spitting  upon  the  floor  for  the  purpose  of  seeing  exactly 
where  the  bill  was  located,  so  that  it  could  be  transferred 
to  his  pocket,  was  detected  just  in  time  to  save  a  "  cash 
short  $10  "  at  night. 


PLATE-GLASS  SPITTOONS. 

An  agriculturalist,  whose  eyes  had  become  somewhat 
dimmed  by  age,  being  in  a  bank  one  day,  and  while 


^Miscellaneous.  277 

talking  with  the  cashier,  he  had  accumulated  an  extra 
amount  of  tobacco  juice,  and  aiter  his  mouth  was  so  full 
that  he  could  talk  no  longer,  he  concluded  to  relieve  his 
distress  ;  so  he  walked  up  to  a  fine  plate-glass  window, 
and  supposing  there  was  no  glass,  he  braced  himself, 
and  .throwing  forward  his  head,  he  gave  one  tremendous 
blast  that  completely  covered  the  glass  with  the  beautiful 
liquid,  and  the  farmer  with  mortification. 


TRAPPING  ROGUES  WITH   SUNSHINE. 

The  London  News  reports  that  the.  Bank  of  France 
has  for  some  time  past  employed  a  photographic  detec- 
tive to  examine  suspicious  documents,  and  more  recently 
has  placed  an  invisible  studio  in  a  gallery  behind  the 
cashiers.  Hidden  behind  some  heavy  curtain,  the 
camera  stands  ready  for  work,  and  at  a  signal  from  any 
of  the  cashiers,  the  photographer  secures  the  likeness  of 
any  suspected  customer.  It  is  also  reported,  that  in  the 
principal  banking  establishment  in  Paris  several  frauds 
have  lately  been  detected  by  the  camera,  which,  under 
some  circumstances,  exercises  a  sharper  vision  than  the 
human  eye.  Where  an  erasure  has  been  made,  for 
instance,  the  camera  detects  it  at  once,  let  the  spot 
be  ever  so  smoothly  rubbed  over,  while  a  word  or  figure 
that  to  the  eye  has  been  perfectly  scratched  out,  is  clearly 
reproduced  in  a  photograph  of  the  document. 


278  The  Bankers    Scrap-Book. 


WHAT    IT   WAS    WORTH. 

A  Buffalo  gentlemen  who  owns  a  $100  bond  of  the 
"  City"  of  Neosho  Falls,  Ks.,  recently  wrote  to  the  local 
treasurer  as  to  its  value.  He  received  the  following 
reply  :  "  Take  the  bond  to  a  store  and  weigh  it  ;  then 
find  a  market  report  containing  the  quotation  of  waste 
paper,  and  you  will  know  the  value  of  your  bond." 


SINGULAR    BIBLE    CLASS. 

James  McCormick,  a  millionaire  bank  president  in 
Harrisburg,  Pa.,  teaches  a  remarkable  Bible  class. 
There  are  300  members,  of  whom  he  says  :  "  There  are 
men  in  this  class  who  are  by  no  means  Christians  ;  men 
who  are  not  even  reformed.  One  of  the  worst  gamblers 
in  this  city  is  a  regular  attendant.  He  is  a  bad  man,  and 
confesses  it,  but  there's  a  spark  of  goodness  in  his  heart, 
which,  some  day,  may  be  fanned  into  a  flame." 


A    BANKER'S    LOVE    OF    BIRDS— GIRARD'S 
LITTLE    SONGSTERS. 

The  smallest  means  of  adding  to  his  fortune  were 
never  neglected  or  overlooked  by  Girard.  To  him 
nothing  was  a  trifle,  if  a  penny  could  be  made  by  it. 

His  breed  of  canary  birds  was  among  the  most  choice 
and  extensive  in  the  world,  and  he  was  careful  to  sell 


Miscellaneous.  279 

them  at  the  highest  price.  The  fondness  of  Girard  for 
these  little  creatures  was  remarkable ;  he  had  his  favor- 
ites among  them,  and  doubtless  enjoyed  many  a  happy 
moment  under  the  influence  of  the  music  of  their  songs — 
a  sweet  and  singular  solace  from  the  distractions  of  trade, 
and  which  seemed  to  indicate,  after  all,  a  native  trait  of 
tenderness  lurking  at  the  bottom  of  his  heart.  True,  he 
sold  them,  and  they  contributed  to  gratify  his  superlative 
passion  in  that  way  ;  but  it  would  be  ungenerous  to  sup- 
pose that  he  was  not  susceptible  to  feelings  of  delight 
from  those  winsome  strains  of  melody  which,  at  the 
same  time,  naturally  commanded  so  high  a  price  in  the 
market. 


A  MILLIONAIRE  ON  GIVING  AWAY  MONEY  : 
PETER  C.  BROOKS. 

Peter  C.  Brooks,  one  of  New  England's  most  noted 
millionaires,  made  it  a  systematic  practice  to  give  away 
considerable  sums  of  money,  both  for  public  and 
private  purposes,  though  always  in  the  same  way  that  he 
did  everything  else,  namely,  without  any  parade.  It 
appeared  from  his  books  that  he  annually  expended  in 
this  way  large  amounts,  but  known  at  the  time  only  to 
"  Him  who  seeth  in  secret."  He  remarked  to  one  of  his 
sons,  not  long  before  his  death,  that  "  of  all  the  ways  of 
disposing  of  money,  giving  it  away  is  the  most  satisfac- 
tory." 


280  The  Bankers    Scrap-Book. 


A  WARNING. 

The  following  was  found  written  on  the  back  of  a 
bank  note : 

DRUNKARDS,  TAKE    HEED  ! 

"  When  this  note  passes  from  me  I  am  a  ruined  man. 
It  is  the  last  out  of  a  fortime  bequeathed  to  me,  and  the 
hard-won  earnings  of  an  indulgent  parent — as  quickly 
come,  as  quickly  gone  ;  for  after  a  few  short  years  of 
inebriety  and  reckless  folly,  my  dissipation  has  made  me 
homeless,  friendless  and  a  beggar.  Whoever  may  be  the 
next  owner  of  this  note,  I  would  recommend  him  to 
follow  the  advice  of  sad  experience,  and  beware  of  in- 
temperance." 


SHARING    IN  ROTHSCHILD'S  FORTUNE. 

During  the  stormy  days  of  1848,  two  stalwart  mobo- 
crats  entered  the  bank  of  the  late  Baron  Anselm 
Rothschild,  at  Frankfort.  "You  have  millions  on 
millions."  said  they  to  him,  "and  we  have  nothing,  you 
must  divide  with  us."  "  Very  well,  what  do  you 
suppose  the  firm  of  Rothschild  is  worth?"  "About 
forty  millions  of  florins."  "  Forty  millions,  you 
think,  eh  ?  Now  then,  there  are  forty  millions  of 
people  in  Germany  ;  that  will  be  a  florin  apiece. 
Here's  yours." 


Miscellaneous.  281 

HIS  ANNUAL. 

Little  English,  the  book -black,  having  observed  the 
annual  statement  of  the  police,  letter  carriers,  insurance 
companies,  banks,  and  so  on,  decided  that  it  would  be  in 
order  to  give  the  public  some  statistics  regarding  his 
own  profession.  He  has  therefore  compiled  the  follow- 
ing : 

Paid  up  capital         .....  340. 

Surplus            .         .         ...         .  6c. 

No.  of  "blacks"  during  1878         .         .  1*461    - 

Cash  lost  on  street          .        .         .        .  $i  20 

No.  of  fights 28 

No.  of  victories       .        .         .        .        .  27 

Present  liabilities  .....  ozc. 

Dividends  to  stockholders  ooo. 


HOW  TO  BE  FAMOUS. 

Said  an  ambitious  wife  to  her  slow-going  husband 
the  other  day  :  "  Why  can't  you  distinguish  yourself  in 
some  way  ?  Better  be  a  great  defaulter  than  nothing  !" 


"  OLD  JONES,"  the  great  Manchester  banker,  had  his 
bank  adjoining  his  tea  warehouse,  and  he  used  to  spend 
his  leisure  in  straightening  bent  tea-chest  nails. 


Bankers  !  Have  the  courage  to  tell  a  man  why  you 
refuse  to  discount  his  paper. 


282  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 


HAND-WRITING. 

A  correspondent  of  the  Charleston  (S.  C.)  News  and 
Courier  proposes  that  every  citizen  who  now  has  the 
right  to  vote  shall  be  enrolled,  but  that  hereafter  nobody 
shall  be  put  on  the  list  unless  he  can  write  his  own  name 
in  the  register  in  a  legible  hand.  Goodness  gracious  ! 
What  a  sweeping  disfranchisement  of  bank  presidents, 
cashiers,  legislators,  preachers,  lawyers,  merchants,  in 
fact,  everybody  but  the  nicest  sort  of  clerkly  people,  this 
would  be !  How  could  such  men  as  Horace  Greeley, 
Rufus  Choate,  or  our  eminent  friend,  General  Spinner, 
ever  expect  to  vote  under  such  a  law  ? 


THE    SCHOOLMASTER    ABROAD. 

Our  bank  had  occasion  to  have  a  book-case  and  a 
few  shelves  put  up,  and  this  is  the  bill  rendered  : 

Norfolk,  v.  a. 


Det  to  Daniel  young 
For  one  Cobbert  and  foure 
shelvs  and  i  Cloths  hors 
And  lumber  to  make  them 
With  six  dollars,  25  cts.  $6.25 
pade 

D.  young. 


Miscellaneous.  283 


ROTHSCHILD'S   HAPPINESS. 

"You  must  be  a  happy  man,  Mr.  Rothschild,"  said  a 
gentleman  who  was  sharing  the  hospitality  of  his  splen- 
did home,  as  he  glanced  at  the  more  than  regal  sump- 
tuousness  of  the  appointments  of  the  mansion. 

"Happy!  me  happy!"  was  the  reply.  "What! 
happy,  when  just  as  you  are  going  to  dine,  you  have  a 
letter  placed  in  your  hand,  saying,  '  If  you  don't  send  me 
^500,  I  will  blow  your  brains  out  ?'  Happy !  me 
happy  !" 

And  the  fact  that  he  frequently  slept  with  loaded 
pistols  at  the  side  of  his  gilded  bed,  is  comment  enough 
upon  the  happiness  of  the  richest  man  on  the  face  of  the 
globe. 


THE    TWO    BILLS. 

A      FABLE     FOR      THE     CHILDREN. 

Two  bills  were  waiting  in  the  bank  for  their  turn  to 
go  out  into  the  world.  One  was  a  little  bill,  only  one 
dollar  ;  the  other  was  a  big  bill,  a  thousand-dollar-bill. 

While  lying  there  side  by  side,  they  fell  a-talking 
about  their  usefulness.  The  dollar-bill  murmured  out : 

"  Ah,  if  I  were  as  big  as  you,  what  good  I  would  do  ! 
I  could  move  in  such  high  places,  and  people  would  be 
so  careful  of  me,  wherever  I  should  go  !  Everybody 
would  admire  me,  and  want  to  take  me  home  with  them; 


•284  The  Bankers   Scrap  Book. 

but,  small  as  I  am,  what  good  can  I  do  ?     Nobody  cares 
much  for  me.     I  am  too  little  to  be  of  any  use." 

"  Ah,  yes  !  that  is  so,"  said  the  thousand-dollar-bill  ; 
and  it  haughtily  gathered  up  its  well-trimmed  edge  that 
was  lying  next  the  little  bill,  in  conscious  superiority. 
"That  is  so,"  it  repeated.  "If  you  were  as  great  as  I 
am,  a  thousand  times  bigger  than  you  are,  then  you 
might  hope  to  do  some  good  in  the  world."  And  its 
face  smiled  a  wrinkle  of  contempt  for  the  little  dollar- 
bill. 

Just  then  the  cashier  comes,  takes  the  little  murmur- 
ing bill,  and  kindly  gives  it  to  a  poor  widow. 

"  God  bless  you  !"  she  cries,  as  with  a  smiling  face 
she  receives '  it.  "  My  dear,  hungry  children  can  now 
have  some  bread." 

A  thrill  of  joy  ran  through  the  little  bill  as  it  was 
folded  up  in  the  widow's  hand ;  and  it  whispered,  "  I 
may  do  some  good,  if  I  am  small."  And,  when  it  saw 
the  bright  faces  of  her  fatherless  children,  it  was  very 
glad  that  it  could  do  a  little  good. 

Then  the  little  dollar-bill  began  its  journey  of  use- 
fulness. It  went  first  to  the  baker's  for  bread,  then  to 
the  miller's,  then  to  the  farmer's,  then  to  the  laborer's, 
then  to  the  doctor's,  then  to  the  minister's  ;  and,  wher- 
ever it  went,  it  gave  pleasure,  adding  something  to  their 
comfort  and  joy. 

At  last,  after  a  long,  long  pilgrimage  of  usefulness 
among  every  sort  of  people,  it  came  back  to  the  bank 
again,  crumpled,  defaced,  ragged,  softened,  by  its  daily 
use.  Seeing  the  thousand-dollar-bill  lying  there,  with 


Miscellaneous.  285 

scarcely  a  wrinkle  or  a  finger-mark  upon  it,  it  ex- 
claims : 

"  Pray,  sir,  and  what  has  been  your  mission  of  useful- 
ness ?" 

The  big  bill  sadly  replies,  "  I  have  been  from  safe  to 
safe  among  the  rich,  where  few  could  see  me,  and  they 
were  afraid  to  let  me  go  out  far,  lest  I  should  be  lost. 
Few  indeed  are  they  whom  I  have  made  happier  by  my 
mission." 

Then  the  little  dollar-bill  said,  "  It  is  better  to  be 
small,  and  go  among  the  multitudes  doing  good,  than  to 
be  so  great  as  to  be  imprisoned  in  the  safes  of  the  few." 
And  it  rested  satisfied  with  its  lot. 

MORAL. — The  doing  well  of  little  every-day  duties 
makes  one  the  most  useful  and  happy.  A.  H. 


LOSS    BY    ATTRITION. 

As  gold  coin  ages  in  wear,  by  attrition  it  becomes 
lighter,  until  it  loses  a  portion  of  its  value.  Of  course 
there  is  a  point  at  which  every  sovereign  becomes  thus 
of  too  light  weight.  Last,  year  the  Bank  of  England 
weighed  23,100,000  sovereigns,  of  which  840,000  were 
rejected  as  too  light.  When  a  coin  has  nearly  reached 
the  point  to  which  reference  is  made,  even  the  slight 
attrition  of  being  carried  in  a  box  will  finish  the  work. 
It  has  been  found  that  in  a  box  of  5,000  sovereigns,  all 
of  legal  weight  when  packed,  after  having  been  jolted  in 
sending  a  few  hundreds  of  miles,  an  average  of  eight  of 


286  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 

the  number  will  be  found  to  have  turned  the  point  while 
on  the  journey. 


THE   COST   OF  REVERSING    AN    OLD    PROV- 
ERB. 

Several  years  ago,  a  safe  in  the  office  of  Samuel  B. 
Clexton,  a  wool  dealer  of  Troy,  N.  Y.,  was  blown  open 
by  burglars  and  $2,000  stolen.  Mr.  Clexton  had  the 
safe  repaired,  but  has  kept  it  unlocked  ever  since,  say- 
ing that  he  did  not  want  to  be  at  the  expense  of  repair- 
ing it  a  second  time,  should  burglars  choose  to  call  on 
him.  Last  night  several  burglars  availed  themselves  of 
Mr.  Clexton's  economical  precautions,  and  emptied  the 
safe  again,  taking  stocks  and  notes  of  the  value  of 
$20,000.  Of  course  they  did  not  injure  the  safe.  Mr. 
Clexton  has  taken  the  precaution  to  stop  payment  on 
the  stolen  securities. 


A    SAFE    PLACE    FOR    SECURITIES. 

Old  John  Walsh  was  a  banker,  and  also  a  money- 
lender. He  was  accounted  a  greedy,  close-fisted  old 
chap,  yet  he  possessed  a  sort  of  grim,  rigid  humor, 
which,  in  some  cases,  was  really  funny.  One  day  a 
dashing,  reckless  young  man  of  the  period  called  upon 
him.  "  Mr.  Walsh,"  said  he,  "  I  want  to  borrow  five 
hundred."  "  For  how  long  ?"  "  Six  months."  "  What 
security  can  you  give  me  ?"  The  young  fellow  drew 


Miscellaneous.  287 

himself  proudly  up.  "  My  own  personal  security,  sir," 
he  replied,  with  a  flourish.  Old  John  turned  and  opened 
a  stout  iron  chest  by  his  side.  "  Get  in  here,  sir,"  said 
he.  The  young  blade  looked  first  at  the  chest  and  then 
at  Walsh.  "  What  for  ?"  asked  he.  "  Because  here  is 
where  I  always  keep  all  of  my  personal  securities." 


ABOVE    WORK. 

It  is  a  pleasant  thing  to  be  lazy.  The  delightful  sen- 
sation of  having  nothing  to  do,  or  still  better,  of  having 
something  to  do,  but  resolutely  setting  yourself  not  to 
do  it.  To  sit  still  on  the  hotel  balcony,  with  your  feet 
braced  against  the  railing,  and  listen  to  your  neighbor, 
an  honest,  busy  man,  worth  a  thousand  of  you,  say, 
"  Well,  I  must  get  down  to  the  office,"  and  pity  him. 

Pity  him,  as  he  walks  briskly  away  to  earn  more 
money  in  four  hours  than  you  could  spend  in  a  week. 

I  am  here  to  pity  just  such  men.  I  do  feel  sorry  for 
them.  I  think  that  sympathetic  tears  gather  in  my  eyes 
as  I  watch  my  new  friend  hurry  off  to  the  bank,  and 
think  he  has  to  stay  there  six  mortal  hours,  and  protest 
notes  and  compute  interest,  and  shake  his  head  over 
dubious  paper,  and  smile  sadly  when  the  names  of  feeble 
indorsers  are  tendered  him,  and  look  icily  pitiless  when 
somebody  wants  an  extension,  and  look  awfully  blank 
when  he  just  goes  whistling  out  of  the  bank  and  gets 
the  extension  anyhow,  on  the  American  plan.  Why,  I 
do  feel  sorry  for  my  friend,  and  I  wring  his  hand  when 


288  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 

next  I  meet  him,  and  wish  he  could  change  places  with 
me  for  a  little  while,  and  have  a  good  time. 

True,  his  income  is  more  in  a  day  than  mine  in  a 
week.  .It  is  also  true  that  his  income  keeps  booming  all 
the  time,  while  my  salary  gently  but  firmly  stops  when  I 
do,  but  then,  bless  you,  I  have  the  best  time. 

Because  he  cares  about  things  and  people,  and  I  don't 
care  a  continental.  After  I  once  get  the  general  hours 
for  meals  fixed  in  my  mind,  the  hotel  becomes  a  haven 
of  rest,  earth  is  a  paradise,  people  are  good-natured, 
kind,  and  confiding,  and  the  trail  of  the  serpent  is  only 
found  in  the  menagerie.  I  think  I  shall  join  the  commu- 
nists ;  they  appear  to  have  about  the  easiest,  most  satis- 
factory view  of  things.  Having  nothing  of  my  own  to 
divide,  I  want  to  divide  with  everybody  else.  Generous 
man  ;  send  me  the  chromo. 

By  the  way,  did  you  ever  notice  how  peculiarly 
bewildering  to  the  untrained  mind  are  mercantile  forms  ? 
The  other  'day,  being  in  a  communistic  mood,  I  had 
occasion  to  "divide"  with  the  office.  I  had  a  vague  idea 
how  the  thing  ought  to  be  done,  in  a  general  way,  so  I 
went  into  a  bank  and  asked  for  a  sight  draft.  Should 
the  obliging  cashier  fill  it  out  for  me?  I  thanked  him 
haughtily,  and  filled  it  up  myself.  I  had  my  misgivings, 
but  I  handed  it  over. 

.  The  obliging  cashier  smiled* 

"Do  you  wish  us  to  collect  this  ?"  he  asked. 

I  said  "yes,"  in  the  tones  which  I  imagined  Mr.  Van- 
derbilt  employed  .On  similar  occasions,  and  to  my  un- 
speakable amazement  the  obliging  cashier  said  : 


Miscellaneous.  289 

"  Very  well,  sir,  just  leave  the  money  with  us,  and  we 
will  remit  it  to  your  house  at  once." 

And  then  I  saw  that,  somehow  or  other,  I  had  made 
the  thing  out  just  that  way,  and  had  drawn  upon  myself 
in  favor  of  the  office  for  three  weeks'  salary,  during 
which  time  the  office  had  not  heard  from  me. 

There's  too  much  "bigod  nonsense"  about  these 
banks,  anyhow.  — Burdette. 


UNIQUE    BANKING. 

A  Dutchman  read  somewhere  that  money  doubled 
itself,  by  compound  interest,  every  fourteen  years,  if  it 
was  put  carefully  away,  and  left  untouched.  The  guile- 
less Hollander  at  once  dug  a  hole  in  the  cellar,  and 
buried  four  hundred  dollars,  packed  in  a  tea-kettle. 
This  was  fourteen  years  ago  last  Wednesday.  On  that 
day  he  rose  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  dug  up 
his  cash,  with  the  confident  expectation  that  it  had  in- 
creased to  eight  hundred  dollars.  His  disappointment 
was  great,  and  when  his  friends  talk  to  him  about  math- 
em  \tics  now,  he  expresses  the  opinion  that  "  Dem  arith- 
metics ish  all  a  lie  !" 


FATE    OF    A    COMPOUND    NOTE. 

A  compound  interest  note  for  $210  was  received  at 
the  Treasury,  on  Saturday,  for  redemption.     It  was  torn 
into  a  thousand  bits,  and  the  explanation  accompanying 
13 


2go  The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 

it  is  rather  odd.  It  belonged  to  a  German  named  Schla- 
lagel,  who,  a  short  time  ago,  was  committed  to  the  poor- 
house  in  Burlington,  Coffee  county,  Kansas,  as  a  pauper, 
In  a  few  days  thereafter  he  was  found  to  be  insane,  and 
recently  drowned  himself  in  a  well.  After  his  death  this 
note  was  found  in  his  room,  torn  into  almost  numberless 
fragments,  not  one  of  which  was  missing.  He  had  been 
carrying  the  note  on  his  person  for  years. 


A    PEANUT    PEDDLER'S    SAVINGS    BANK. 

A  poorly-clad  girl  lately  went  into  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Troy,  N.  Y.,  and  deposited  $400.  The  teller 
suspected  her  of  stealing  the  money,  and  gave  notice  to 
the  police.  The  girl  was  subsequently  arrested.  When 
she  asked  what  was  charged  against  her,  she  was  told 
that  a  telegram  had  been  received  from  New  York,  ac- 
cusing a  person  of  her  description  of  stealing  money. 
The  girl  immediately  acknowledged  herself  guilty,  and 
gave  the  details  of  the  robbery.  She  gave  her  real  name, 
and  said  her  father  was  a  pea-nut  peddler  in  New  York, 
and  for  several  years  had  treated  her  with  systematic 
brutality.  One  day,  after  be  had  given  her  a  severe 
beating,  she  was  engaged  in  cleaning  the  floor  of  his 
room,  when  she  discovered  under  the  bed  an  old  pair 
of  trousers,  in  one  leg  of  which,  sewed  in  between  the 
lining  and  the  cloth,  she  found  the  $400.  She  took  it 
and  fled  to  Troy.  She  was  lodged  in  jail,  and  her  fatner 
was  informed  of  her  arrest. 


Miscellaneous.  291 


GRANDEST  INSTANCE  OF  DEBT. 

The  grandest  instance  of  growing  debt  upon  record 
is  that  of  the  King  of  Leon,  mentioned  by  Mariana.  Fer- 
dinand Gonzalves  had  sold  this  prince  a  falcon  upon 
credit.  The  interest  was  high,  and  it  compounded  itself 
in  the  course  of  a  few  years  into  a  sum  so  enormous  that 
the  king  was  forced  to  make  over  to  Gonzalves  his 
rights  on  the  kingdom  of  Castile,  to  be  quit  of  the  lia- 
bility. 

« 

JOHN  SHERMAN'S  PLAN  OF  LIFE. 

In  a  letter  from  a  gentleman  in  public  life,  who  has 
known  John  Sherman  from  infancy,  occurs  the  following 
passage  :  "John  Sherman  started  in  life  as  a  long,  gawky 
lad,  quiet  and  determined  in  manner,  economical,  and 
not  easily  turned  aside  when  he  had  made  up  his  mind  to 
anything.  He  has  always  been  a  shrewd  financier  and 
naturally  a  money- making  man,  never,  he  believes,  mak- 
ing a  mistake  in  his  calculations  about  investments.  He 
made  it  a  rule  that  he  must  each  year  lay  aside  at  least 
$500,  and  regulated  his  expenditures  in  conformity  with 
that  determination.  He  never  failed  to  do  it,  and  when 
he  saw  his  $500  safely  invested  then  he  used  more,  if 
there  was  more,  for  pleasure,  or  was  more  liberal  in  ex- 
penses. About  six  years  after  he  began  practice  he  was 
able  to  start  the  sash  and  blind  factory  which  he  saw  was 
needed,  and  that  was  worth  to  him  about  $5,000  a  year 
for  about  six  years.  It  paid  him  in  all  about  $30,000. 


292  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 

Almost  every  dollar  he  has  to-day  was  made  when  he 
was  a  private  citizen,  or  as  the  result  of  investments 
made  during  that  time.  He  has  very  little  to  show  for 
his  long  years  of  public  life  or  since  he  has  been  paid  a 
salary."  This  is  perhaps  intended  as  an  authoritative 
denial  of  the  charge  that  Sherman  became  rich  while  in 
office  and  on  a  small  salary. 


TREATMENT  OF  INSOLVENTS  BY  THE  BANK 
OF   ENGLAND. 

As  soon  as  an  English  house  has  failed,  the  Bank  of 
England  picks  out  the  bills  accepted  by  that  firm,  and 
returning  them  to  the  house  from  whom  it  has  received 
them,  demands  instanter  the  amount,  less  the  discount 
for  the  time  they  have  to  run.  As  the  law  does  not  rec- 
ognize this  proceeding,  nor  furnish  any  means  for  com- 
pelling acquiescence  in  the  demand,  it  is  quite  optional 
with  the  indorser  to  comply  with  it  or  not  ;  but  if  he 
does  not  comply,  or  makes  even  a  momentary  hesitation 
in  handing  bank-notes  for  the  undue  bills  bearing  his 
indorsement,  his  credit  with  the  bank  is  ended,  his  dis- 
count account  closed,  and  the  best  and  easiest  source  of 
obtaining  accommodation  cut  off.  Under  these  circum- 
stances, the  unfortunate  merchant  will  make  strenuous 
exertions  to  uphold  his  standing  in  such  an  important 
quarter. 


FRACTIONAL    CURRENCY. 

Men  who  are  hard-up  want  to  be  let  a-loan. 


How  to  meet  a  man  of  doubtful  credit. — Take  no  note 
of  him. 


Quicksilver. — The  nimble  sixpence. 


To  do  business  a  man  must  have  dollars  and  sense. 


THE  NEW  Orleans  Picayune  expresses  its  belief  that 
"  if  a  bank  officer  would  look  at  a  burglar  with  a  bag 
of  tools  as  severely  as  he  does  at  an  honest  man  with  a 
small  note,  many  robberies  might  be  prevented." 

LOCAL. — A  clever  old  lady  who  mourns  the  untimely 
end  of  our  First  National,  thinks  the  teller  of  that  bank 
was  most  awfully  to  blame.  He  ought  to  have  told  the 
people  in  time  to  save  their  money.  She  has  now  dis- 
covered that  a  teller  isn't  necessarily  one  who  tells — all 
he  knows. 


California  bankers  tell  us,  the  moon-eyed  Celestial, 
when  called  onto  pay,  answereth,  "  I  no  havee,  how  can  ?" 

[293] 


294  The  Bankers    Scrap-Book. 

First  City  Man  (contemplating  sea-gull)  :  "  There's 
happy  creatures,  Thomson.  They've  no  acceptances  to 
meet."  Second  City  Man  :  "  Ah  !  my  boy,  it's  all  very 
well  to  talk  so  ;  but,  remember,  Providence  has  ordained 
that  they  also  have  their  bills  to  provide  for." 


Two  hundred  clerks  of  the  Bank  of  France  have 
petitioned  the  President  of  that  institution  for  permis- 
sion to  wear  their  beards,  a  privilege  now  denied  them. 

Men  who  have  made  their  fortunes  are  not  those  who 
have  five  thousand  dollars  given  them  to  start  with. 


Money. — The   missing    link  between   man  and    his 
tailor. 


The  end  of  all  commerce  is  individual  gain. 


"  Situation  wanted  in  a  bank.     Salary  not  so  much 
an  object  as  the  combination  of  the  safe." 


It  is  said  that  Montana,  with  a  population  of  50,000, 
has  not  a  business  failure  in  a  year.  This  circumstance 
is  said  to  be  due  to  the  custom  of  hanging  those  who 
are  unable  to  make  satisfactory  arrangements  with  cred- 
itors. 


The   number    of    moral   failures   without    assets    is 
alarmingly  on  the  increase.     As  in  the  case  of  commer- 


Fractional  Currency.  295 

cial  failures,  the  nominal  assets  are  quite  imposing,  but 
examination  commonly  results  in  finding  an  empty 
treasury. 


An    absent-minded   and     prominent    New  London 

grocer,  who  had  been  talking  about  potatoes,  recently 

signed  a  check  " Potatoes,"  and  it  went  through 

several  banks  before  the  mistake  was  noticed. 


"  Riches  take  wings  " — -to  Canada,  generally. 


If  a  bank  cannot  stand  a  loan  it  must  eventually  come 
down. 


Bankers,  like  all  creditors,  "  are  a  superstitious  sect, 
— great  observers  of  set  days  and  times." 


Quoth  Solomon  :  "  He  that  is  surety  for  a  stranger 
shall  smart  for  it,  and  he  that  hateth  suretyship  is  sure." 
Almost  all  who  sign  as  surety  have  occasion  to  remem- 
ber this,  but  they  are  nevertheless  held  liable  upon  their 
contracts,  otherwise  there  would  be  no  smarting,  and  the 
proverb  would  fail. 

Mr.  Murray  says  that  "  Heaven  is  not  populated  with 
singing  thieves  or  palm-bearing  bankrupts,  who  settle 
with  their  creditors  at  twenty-five  cents  on  the  dollar 
Wednesday,  and  ride  to  church  the  next  Sabbath  in  a 
thousand-dollar  coach,  with  a  man  in  livery  on  the  box." 
We  believe  this  proposition  to  be  incontestible. 


296  The  Bankers   Scrap-Book. 

Oh,  what  are  the  prizes  we  perish  to  win, 

To  the  first  little  "shiner"  we  caught  with  a  pin  ! 

No  soil  upon  earth  is  so  dear  to  our  eyes 

As  the  soil  we  first  stirred  in  terrestrial  pies. 


Next  time  a  customer  complains  of  the  bad  pens  at 
the  public  desk,  look  wise,  Mr.  Cashier,  and  remark, 
"  This  is  not  a  Pen-ny  Bank." 


Experience  teaches  us  that  insolvency  is  the  normal 
state  of  mankind,  and  the  payment  of  debts  a  disease 
which  now  and  then  breaks  out. 


A  former  Iowa  banker,  B.  F.  Allen,  now  lives  at 
Leadville,  in  a  log  cabin  15x20  feet  in  size,  containing 
three  beds,  a  cook-stove,  and  limited  furniture.  But  he 
has  just  paid  $60,000  for  a  silver  mine. 


Says  Truth  ;  "  One  of  the  West  End  tailors  was  de- 
ploring, with  a  friend,  the  depression  of  trade.  '  De- 
pend upon  it,'  he  said,  '  when  eminent  bankers  in 
Lombard  street  come  to  me  to  have  their  trousers 
reseated,  there  must  be  something  very  wrong  with  the 
money  market.' " 


"  Can  you  write  a  good  financial  article  ?"  said  an 
editor-in-chief  to  a  new  man.  "  Oh,  yes ;  that  is  my 
strong  hold  on  the  press,"  said  the  new  man,  and  imme- 
diately sat  down  and  dashed  off  a  written  promise  to  pay 
for  a  small  amount  of  money.  This  he  signed  and 


Fractional  Currency.  297 

handed  in  for  inspection.  The  editor,  after  hurriedly 
glancing  over  the  document,  remarked  that  as  he  was 
running  a  conservative  paper,  he  was  not  prepared  to 
indorse  all  that  the  stranger  had  written,  but  that  if  he 
would  go  and  prepare  an  obituary  notice  of  himself,  he 
would  publish  it  with  great  pleasure.  He  has  not  been 
heard  of  since. 


In  Illinois,  if  any  man  steals  any  amount  less  than 
$15,  he  is  sent  to  jail,  and  for  stealing  over  $15  he  is 
sent  to  the  penitentiary  ;  but  if  he  steals  exactly  $15, 
there  is  no  penalty  attached  to  the  offense.  The  thieves 
out  there  are  very  careful  to  steal  the  exact  amount  to 
exempt  them  from  punishment. 


A  Youngstown  German  got  angry  with  a  banker  of 
that  place  for  demanding  a  heavy  discount,  and  when 
the  banker  asserted  that  it  was  "  business,"  replied  : 
"Pisiness?  pisiness?  You  sit  here  all  day  and  robs  a 
man  bare  faced  before  his  pack,  and  calls  dat  pisiness, 
ha?" 


Out  in  Kansas,  when  a  bank  closes  its  doors,  they 
dispense  with  all  such  little  formalities  as  receivers  and 
expert  accountants.  A  depositor  puts  a  pistol  to  the 
president's  head,  another  shoots  the  cashier,  and  half  an 
hour  later  the  institution  is  in  good  working  order 
again. 

It  is  curious  that  money  should  be  called  by  so  many 


298  The  Bankers    Scrap-Book. 

different  names.  Some  describe  it  as  "  spondulix,"  some 
as  "the  stuff,"  some  as  "the  sugar,"  some  as  "rhino," 
some  as  "  spoons,"  some  as  "  the  ready,"  others  as 
"brads."  The  French  call  it  "  I' argent,"  the  English 
"the  needful,"  in  Mexico  "casting,"  in  the  South 
"rocks,"  in  the  East  "  tin,"  in  the  West  "rags,"  in  Can- 
ada it  goes  by  the  name  of  "  spelter,"  hereabouts  it  is 
"short." 


Stock-broker  at  city  restaurant,  reading  his  bill  of 
fare  :  "  What  is  this — Beef  a  la  financi&re  ?"  Friend  : 
"  I  suppose  it  is  cut  from  a  Stock  Exchange  Bull  !" 


An  amusing  instance  of  carrying  religion  into  busi- 
ness, occurred  some  time  since  in  this  wise.  A  farmer 
went  to  a  broker  to  buy  some  "governments."  "What 
denomination  will  you  have?"  asked  the  broker.  The 
question  was  a  poser,  but.  the  farmer  was  equal  to  the 
emergency,  and  replied,  after  a  moment's  reflection  :  "  I 
guess  I'll  take  part  of  'em  in  Old  School  Presbyterian, 
just  to  please  the  old  lady,  but  give  me  the  heft  of  'em 
in^  Freewill  Baptist." 


A  prominent  lawyer  in  town,  who  thinks  that  in  time 
of  alarm  confidence  should  be  shown  in  the  banks,  made 
a  deposit  of  his  entire  property,  as  soon  as  he  heard  of 
the  robbery  yesterday.  It  amounted  to  $3.25,  and  in- 
cluded a  counterfeit  fifty-cent  piece,  a  silver  quarter 
with  a  hole  in  it,  four  Roman  coins  of  the  time  of  Tiber- 


Fractional  Currency.  299 

ius,  and  a  horse-car  ticket.     It  is  patriotic   promptness 
like  this  that  makes  one  proud  even  of  a  lawyer. 


A  Missouri  gentleman  who  drew  all  his  money  out 
of  the  bank  during  the  late  panic,  died  suddenly  the 
other  day.  His  weeping  relatives  offer  a  large  reward 
to  any  one  who  will  find  where  he  hid  the  money. 

CURRENCY  CONUNDRUM. — Why  is  national  bank  cur- 
rency like  an  umbrella  ?  — Ex. 

Responses  thus : 

A  careless  man — because  it  is  easy  to  lose  it. 

A  miser — because  one  dislikes  to  have  to  use  it. 

Nice  young  man — because  one  can  make  a  spread 
with  it. 

A  Wall  street  man — because  it  is  the  hardest  to  bor- 
row when  you  want  it  most. 

A  poor  man — because  it  don't  take  long  to  count  all 
you've  got. 

An  unlucky  man — because  you  can't  get  it  back  when 
lent. 

A  jolly  man — because  it  is  very  convenient  when  the 
big  dues  come. 

To  all  which  we  add — because  it  is  the  thing  to  lay 
by  for  a  rainy  day. 


A  well-known  girl  of  the  period — Em  Bezzle.  Her 
near  and  dear  relative — D.  Fault.  Her  uncle — Ab 
Squatulate.  Her  father — Ske  Dad-die. 


3OO  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 

Comfortable  quarters — silver  twenty-five-cent  pieces. 


The  three  coins  that  exactly  make  a  dollar. — One- 
half  and  two  quarters. 


"  Be  cautious  and  bold." 

"  Never  have  anything  to  do  with  an  unlucky  man  or 
place." — ROTHSCHILD'S  MOTTOES. 


The  first  ladies  employed  in  the  National  Treasury 
were  appointed  in  1862.  There  are  now  1,300  in  the  de- 
partments of  Washington,  receiving  salaries  varying 
from  $900  to  $1,800  yearly. 


' "  Did  you  ever  dabble  in  stocks  ?"  inquired  a  lawyer 
of  a  witness  who  was  known  to  have  fled  from  his  native 
land  to  this  asylum  of  the  free.  "Well,  yes,  I  got  my 
foot  in  'em  once  in  the  old  country,"  was  the  reply. 


There  is  one  financial  scheme,  on  which  all  parties 
can  unite,  namely,  the  abolition  of  twenty-cent  pieces. 


The   chief    end    of    a    savings-bank  account — div- 
id-end. 

A  bank  is  such  a  dol-orous  place. 


Frogs  were  the  original  greenbacks,  and  since  they 
first  drew  breath  they  have  been  inflationists. 

\ 


Fractional  Currency.  301 

A  Salamanca  man  lost  a  package  containing  $500  a 
year  ago,  and  found  it  last  week  when  he  emptied  a 
straw-bed  tick. 


\ 


A  young  lady  of  Austin,  Nevada,  is  waiting   until 
silver  goes  to  par,  so  that  he  will  get  her  a  new  dress. 


As  an  evidence  of  hard  times  it  may  be  mentioned 
that  a  young  man  in  this  State  wrote  to  every  bank  in 
Detroit  offering  to  "  be  your  kasheer  for  $20  per  month 
and  board  ;  "  and  no  bank  could  give  him  a  place. 


He  who  is  intimate  on  short  acquaintance  is  apt  to  be 
short  on  intimate  acquaintance. 


Pope  Innocent  XI.  was  the  son  of  a  banker. 


If  you  see  a  man  skipping  across  the  country  rapidly 
and  trying  to  avoid  notice,  arrest  him.  Ten  to  one  it  is 
some  savings  bank  president. 


XL-lent — $40  borrowed. 


A  country  banker,  rigorously  accurate,  thus  quoted 
two  lines  of  a  hymn  sung  at  a  funeral : 


3O2  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 

"  Ten  thousand  thousand  (10,000,000)  are  their  tongues, 
But  all  their  joys  are  one  (i)." 


A  merchant  who  always  tells  the  truth,  and  a  genius 
who  never  lies,  are  synonymous  to  a  saint. — LAVATER. 


Why  are  cents  separated  from  dollars  by  a  point? 
To  make  sense,  of  course. 


It  is  a  remarkable  peculiarity  with  debts  that  their 
expanding  power  continues  to  increase  as  you  contract 
them. 


Creditors  are  a  superstitious  set — great  observers  of 
set  days  and  times. — FRANKLIN. 


Little  that  is  truly  noble  can  be  expected  from  one 
who  is  ever  poring  over  his  cash-book,  or  balancing  his 
accounts. 


Money  in  thy  purse  will  ever  be  in  fashion.-— RALEIGH. 


Fractional  Currency.  303 


GOOD    LIFE,   LONG    LIFE.^ 

He  liveth  long  who  liveth  well, 

All  else  is  life  but  flung  away  ; 
He  liveth  longest  who  can  tell 

Of  true  things  truly  done  each  day. 

Then  fill  each  hour  with  what  will  last, 

Buy  up  the  moments  as  they  go  ; 
The  life  above,  when  this  is  past, 

Is  the  ripe  fruit  of  life  below. 

Sow  love,  and  taste  its  fruitage  pure, 
Sow  peace,  and  reap  its  harvest  bright, 

Sow  sunbeams  on  the  rock  and  moor 
And  find  a  harvest-home  of  light. 

H.    BONAR. 


GEO.  E.  BOWDEN,  President.  GEO.  S.  OLDFIELD,  Vice  President. 

H.  C.  PERCY,  Cashier. 


THE  HOME  SAVINGS  BANK 

OF 

NORFOLK,    VA. 

Chartered  under  State  Banking  Laws,  September,  1874. 


DIRECTORS: 

H.  B.  NICHOLS,  SAML.  HOFFLIN,  GEO.  E.  BOWDEN. 

F.  RICHARDSON,  J.  R.  GILLETT.  S.  E.  BICKFORD. 

B.  F.  BOLSOM,  CAPT.  E.  PICKUP,  GEO.  S.  OLDFIELD. 

REV.  E.  G.  CORPREW. 


INTEREST  ALLOWED  ON  SAVINGS  DEPOSITS. 


Interest-Bearing  Certificates  of  Deposit  issued,  pay- 
able, if  desired,  in  NEW  YORK  or  BOSTON. 


COLLECTIONS    MADE    ON  ALL  ACCESSIBLE   POINTS 

IN  VIRGINIA  AND    NORTH  CAROLINA,  AND 

REMITTED  FOR  AT  LOWEST  RATES 

ON    DAY    OF    PAYMENT. 


BILLS  OF  EXCHANGE    DRAWN 

On    England,     Ireland,    France,    Germany    and     Switzerland. 


ON  CITY  COLLECTIONS  we  charge  only  current  rate  of  exchange 
(except  in  cases  of  past  due  paper,  involving  extra  trouble),  and  remit 
on  day  of  payment,  or  advise  of  non-payment,  with  reasons,  if  any  are 
given. 

CORRESPONDENTS  : 
New  York — NATIONAL  SHOE  AND  LEATHER  BANK. 
Boston — BLACKSTONE  NATIONAL  BANK. 
Philadelphia — SEVENTH  NATIONAL  BANK. 
Baltimore — NATIONAL  BANK  OF  BALTIMORE. 
Washington — NATIONAL  BANK  OF  THE  REPUBLIC. 
Chicago — PRESTON,    KEAN  &  Co. 
Richmond—  STATE  BANK  OF  VIRGINIA. 


ESTABLISHED  1350.  IMPROVED  1879. 

Published  Monthly — Official  Organ. 

DYE'S   GOVERNMENT 
COUNTERFEIT  DETECTOR. 


)riginal  Method  and  New  Arrangement  for  Detecting  Counterfeit  Money.    The 
only  standard  work  of  its  kind  in  America.    Compiled  with  great  care  from  offi- 
cial records  by  special  assistance  of  the  Chief  of  the  Secret  Service  Division, 
U.  S.  T.    A  Perfect  Protection  against  Loss  by  Counterfeit  Mouey,  containing  a 
COMPLETE   DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  of  all  Counterfeit  United  States  Treasury 
Notes,  National  Bank  Bills  and  Fractional  Currency,  in  Conspicuous  Tables  of 
each  Denomination,  giving  in  full  the  simple  means  of  instant  and  positive  detec- 
tion.   Current  Funds  paid  for  any  Counterfeit  United  States  Treasury  Note  or 
National  Bank  Bill  not   mentioned  in  this  publication  to  date  of   its  issue. 
Also,  giving  an  OFFICIAL  LIST  OF  UNITED  STATES  COINS,  Historical, 
Descriptive  and  Statistical ;  compiled  expressly  for  Dye's  Government  Counterfeit 
De.tector  ;  to  which  has  been  added,  by  John  S.  Dye,  a  full  account  and  description 
of  all  dangerous  Counterfeits  and  mutilations  of  the  same,  Counterfeited  United 
States  and  other  Bonds,  Stolen  United  States  Bonds ;  Banks  of  the  Dominion  of 
Canada  and  the  British  Provinces  of  North  America,with  List  of  Counterfeit,  Stolen 
and  Altered  Bank  Bills  ;  Counterfeit  Coins  of  the  Dominion  of  Canada  and  New- 
foundland ;  Monthly  Statement  of  United  States  Debt,  with  Statistical  Schedules  of 
all  Government  Securities  ;  United  States  Secret  Service  Record  :    Statement  of 
Calls  of  5-20  Bonds  ;  Monthly  Report  of  the  United  States  Mint ;  List  of  Rare  Coins 
and  the  prices  paid  for  them  at  the  office  of  John  S.  Dye  :  FORTY-EIGHT  PAGES, 
16mo  ;  all  thoroughly  revised  and  corrected  to  date  under  authority  from  the  several 
Divisions  of  the  respective  Departments  of  the  Government. 

ISSUED  MONTHLY,  AT  THREE  DOLLARS  A  YEAR,  IN  ADVANCE, 

With  Extras  to  Subscribers  on  the  appearance  of  New  Counterfeits. 
SINGLE  COPIES,  50  CENTS.  AGENTS  WANTED. 

JOHN 8.  DYE,  Editor  and  Proprietor, 

1338'CHESTNTIT  ST.,  Opposite  IT.  S.  Mint,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

DYE'S  COIN  ENCYCLOPEDIA 

OF   THE 

GOVERNMENTS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

BY  JOHN  S.  DYE. 

Containing  over  2000  perfect  Fac-simlle  Engravings  of  the  present  universally 
circulating  Gold,  Silver,  Bronze,  Copper  and  Nickel  Coins 

OF  ALL  THE  NATIONS  OF  THE  GLOBE, 

made  directly  from  specimen  Coins  at  great  cost,  expressly  for  this  work.  On  the 
judgment  of  the  best  authorities  in  financial  matters,  the  book  has  been  declared  to 
be  "  The  most  valuable  commercial  publication  since  the  advent  of  the  '  Wealth  of 
Nations,'  by  Adam  Smith."  This  Coin  Encyclopaedia  will  contain  the  intrinsic  value 
of  each  coin,  in  the  currencies  of  the  UNi'i'ED  STATES.  GREAT  BRITAIN,  GER- 
MANY, FRANCE,  AUSTRIA.  ITALY,  SWITZERLAND.  PORTUGAL,  BELGIUM, 
RUSSIA,  BRAZIL,  and  SPAIN,  a  feature  never  heretofore  presented  in  any  similar 
publication.  A  COMPLETE  AND  EXTENSIVE  INDEX  ACCOMPANIES  THE  WORK.  To 
be  sold  at  the  moderate  rate  of  FIVE 'DOLLARS  PER  COPY.  Postage  prepaid 
to  all  parts  of  the  United  States  and  British  Provinces.  Address, 

JOHN  S.  DYE,  Editor  and  Proprietor, 

1338  CHESTNUT  ST.,  Opposite  U.  S.  Mint,  Philadelphia,  Fa. 


BANKER'S  PUBLICATIONS. 


BRADFORD  RHODES  &  CO.,  PUBLISHERS,  NEW  YORK. 


iLIST  AND  PRICES  OVER. 


BRADFORD  RHODES  &  CO., 

PUBLISHERS, 

13  Spruce  Street,  New  York. 


RHODES'  JOURNAL  OF  BANKING,  a  Monthly  Magazine,  of  prac- 
tical value  to  banks,  bankers,  dealers,  investors,  as  well  as  the  public  interested  in 
the  monetary  affairs  of  the  country. 

Terms  :  Five  Dollars  per  annum,  postage  prepaid.  Subscriptions  terminate 
with  current  year.  Fifty  Cents  a  month  for  any  unexpired  part  of  a  year. 

Advertisements:  Bank  advertising  only  solicited.  A  qnarter  page  $30  a 
year  lied  need  rates  for  more  space. 


THE  BANKER'S  YEAR  BOOK  contains 

I  —A  new  and  correct  list  of  the  National  Banks,  State  Banks,  Private  Bankers  and 
Savings  Banks  of  the  United  States,  with  their  location,  capital  and  surplus; 
the  names  of  two  or  three  officers,  including  assistant  cashiers,  (of  National, 
State,  or  private  banks),  and  the  President,  Secretary  or  Treasurer  (of  Savings 
Banks),  and  the  names  of  other  correspondents,  in  addition  to  the  New  York 
correspondent. 

11. — A  brief  description  of  each  city  or  town,  where  banks  are  located,  having  special 
reference  to  its  trade  facilities  and  commercial  importance. 

III.— A  concise  summary  of  laws  in  force  in  each  State,  relative  to  banking,  collec- 
tions, interest  and  general  commercial  dealings. 

Terms  S3  a  Copy. 

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The  List  Of  Banks  and  Bankers  appearing  in  the  "Banker's  Year 
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the  time.  Bank  officers,  bankers,  and  others  interested  in  maintaining  a  list  abso- 
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garding new  institutions  or  changes,  as  well  as  by  calling  attention  to  any  short 
comings. 

The  Safeguard  and  Savings  Bank  Reporter.    $1  a  year. 

Banking  Laws  and  Miscellaneous  Books  for  Bankers. 

Keyes'   History  of  Savings  Banks  in  the  U.  S.     Octavo,  2  Vols.,  480  ami  636  PP. 

iv-|,..,-iivi-ly.    $5  per  Vol.    "The  only  reliable  account  of  these  institution*  jmljlislu-.l." 

Interest  Tables,  &c.  „ 

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Canada  on  receipt  of  price. 
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THE  BANKER'S  MAGAZINE 

AND 

STATISTICAL    REGISTER. 


A  monthly  periodical  of  80  to  96  pages,  containing  carefully  pre- 
pared articles  upon  current  financial  topics,  the  principles  of  Finance 
and  the  Practice  of  Banking.  The  changing  phases  of  affairs,  domes- 
tic and  foreign,  touching  monetary  interests,  are  recorded  and  com- 
mented on,  as  they  present  themselves.  Of  the  practical  questions  as 
to  the  duties  and  responsibilities  of  active  banking,  which  continually 
arise,  some  are  presented  each  month  in  the  Inquiries  of  Correspond- 
ents, and  are  discussed  in  this  Magazine.  A  department  is  specially 
devoted  to  the  Law  in  its  relation  to  Banks  and  Bankers,  and  all  im- 
portant decisions  are  reported,  the  opinion  of  higher  courts  being 
given  in  full  whenever  justified  by  the  importance  of  the  points 
involved.  The  constantly  recurring  changes  among  National  and 
State  Banks  and  private  Bankers  are  promptly  announced,  the 
MAGAZINE  thus  furnishing,  in  connection  with  THE  BANKER'S 
ALMANAC  AND  REGISTER,  a  freshly  corrected  record  of  the 
banks  and  bankers  of  the  United  States  and  Canada.  The  financial 
legislation  of  Congress  is  carefully  noted,  as  also  are  the  financial 
circulars  and  rulings  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  and  the  Comp- 
troller of  the  Currency. 

A  FULL  INDEX  furnishes  a  ready  reference  to  the  yearly 
volume,  which  begins  with  the  number  for  July. 

MONTHLY,  FIVE  DOLLABS  PEE  ANNUM. 

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one  copy "        3  00 


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$11.25 


OR 

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Register,  and  The  Banker's  Common-place  Book  (Price  $1.50),  with 
either  of  the  three  books  last  named,  for  $10. 

p.  o.  BOX  4574.        x.  S.  SLOMANS,  Publisher,  N.  Y. 


SCOTT     &     CO., 

WHOLESALE  AND  RETAIL 

DEALERS   IN 


MEDALS,  &c.,  &c., 
146    FULTON     ST.,     NEW    YORK    CITY. 

The  above  firm  begs  to  call  the  attention  of  collectors  to  their  large 
and  varied  stock  of  Gold,  Silver,  and  Copper  Coins,  American  and 
Foreign,  Ancient  and  Modern.  Every  piece  sold  Warranted  Genuine. 

THE  HIGHEST  PRICES  PAID  FOR  LARGE  OR  SMALL 
COLLECTIONS  OF  ANY  DESCRIPTION. 

Large  collections  catalogued  for  public  sale,  at  moderate  rates. 
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Catalogue  of  American  and  Foreign  Copper  Coins,  price  25  cents. 
"  "  "         Silver         "  "      25      " 

Coins,  a  collection  of  all  the  United  States  Statutes  in  reference  to 
the  coinage  of  money,  passed  since  the  formation  of  the  Government 
in  1789,  including  a  copy  of  the  famous  Bland  Silver  Bill,  with  its 
amendments  ;  also,  a  tabular  statement  showing  what  coins  are  legal 
tender,  &c.,  &c.,  25  cents. 

Price  List  of  Colonial,  Continental,  Confederate  and  Fractional 
Currency,  50  cents.  Coin  Chart  Manual,  50  cents. 

NATIONAL 

SHOE  AND  LEATHER  BANK 

No.  271  Broadway,  Cor.  Chambers   Street,  N.  Y. 

CAPITAL, $1,000,000 

SURPLUS, 200,000 

ANDREW    V.    STOUT,    President. 

JOHN    M.    CRANE,    Cashier. 


Accounts   of  Banks,   Bankers,  Merchants  and  others  received. 
Collections  made  on  all  points  in  the  United  States  and  Canada. 

CORRESPONDENTS  : 
SHAWMUT  NATIONAL  BANK,    Boston. 
PRESTON,   KEAN  &  CO.,  Chicago. 


THE 


BANKERS'   DIRECTORY 


UNITED 


OF  THE 

STATES     AND 


CANADA. 


Issued  Semi-annually,  in  January  and  July. 

CONTAINS 

A  COMPLETE  AND   CORRECTED  LIST   OF  BANES,  BANKERS  AND 

SAVINGS  BANKS  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES  AND  CANADA, 

THEIE  OFFICERS,  CAPITAL,  SUEPLTJS,  NEW  YORK 

AND   WESTERN   CORRESPONDENTS. 

The  Commercial  Laws  of  each  State  and  Territory,  including  the 

Laws  relating  to  Insolvency,  Interest,  Taxes,  Notes 

and  Bills  of  Exchange,   &c.,   &c. 

A  List  of  reliable  Commercial  Lawyers  in  the   United   States  and 

Canada,    recommended   by   the   different  Banks, 

&c.,  &c.,  &c.,  &c.,  &c.,  &c. 


PRICE,     THREE      DOLLARS. 

RAND,    McNALLY    &    CO.,    PUBLISHERS, 

77  and  79  Madison  Street,   Chicago,    111, 


;teel 


GOLD  MEDAL,   PARIS,   1878. 

His  Celebrated  .Vum&ers, 

3O3-4O4-  I  7O-36  I  -332. 

and  hi*  other  styles  may  be  had  of  all  dealers 
throughout  Hie  world, 

Joseph  Gillott  &  Sons,        New  York. 


1879. 


1879. 


NEW    BOOKS 


AND  NEW  EDITIONS, 

RECENTLY  ISSUED  BY 

G.  W.  CARLETON  &  Co.,  Publishers, 

Madison  Square,  New  York, 


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Marion    Harlaml's    'Works 


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Pickwick,  and  Catalogue : 

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1 66  The  Bankers'  Scrap-Book. 

about  fifteen  years  ago,  before  safe  robbers  became  so 
expert  as  some  safe  robbers  are,  and  some  are  not,  now. 
The  thieves  selected  the  old  safe,  which  contained  only 
the  books  of  the  bank,  some  valuable  papers  that  had 
been  left  by  the  bank's  customers  for  safe-keeping,  some 
silverware,  about  $70  worth  of  foreign  coin,  and  nearly 
$60  in  cents  and  five-cent  pieces. 

There  is  much  speculation  as  to  who  were  the  bold 
but  comic  burglars.  During  the  day  three  strangers 
entered  the  bank  half  a  dozen  times,  and  were  persistent 
in  their  efforts  to  sell  a  pair  of  daubs  of  oil  paintings. 
They  stayed  several  minutes  each  time,  would  not  take 
"no  "  for  an  answer,  and  insisted  upon  having  some  one 
make  them  an  offer,  and  it  is  thought  possible  that  dur- 
ing these  visits  they  were  watching  the  clerks,  and  tak- 
ing a  survey  of  the  interior  of  the  bank. 

—New  York  World,  Oct.  n,  1878. 


A    REMARKABLE    COUNTERFEIT. 

"The  sub-Treasury  Department  at  New  Orleans  have 
come  across  a  counterfeit  silver  quarter,  a  remarkable 
feature  about  which  is,  that  it  is  intrinsically  more  valu- 
able than  the  genuine  quarter  dollar.  According  to  Mr. 
M.  V.  Davis,  the  efficient  coiner  at  the  Mint,  to  whom  it 
was  sent  to  be  assayed,  it  weighs  978  grains,  or  135  above 
legal  weight,  and  contains  50  millimes  of  silver  above 
standard,  also  three  millimes  of  gold,  which  silver  coins 
do  not  contain,  except  in  rare  instances.  Mr.  James 


Counterfeits  and  Rogues.  167 

Albrecht,  the  assayer,  reports  that  its  fineness  is  .950 
silver,  and  .003  gold.  The  only  defect  in  the  piece  is  in 
the  engraving  of  the  words,  '  In  God  we  trust.'  The 
word  '  America '  is  abbreviated  to  '  Amea.,'  in  the  words, 
'United  States  America.'  " 


A    DANGEROUS    BANK-NOTE. 

It  is  probable  that  Burns  vastly  exaggerated  the  ad- 
vantages of  seeing  ourselves  as  others  see  us.  The 
vision  is  often  amusing,  but  it  is  not  always  strictly 
veracious.  Other  people  and  other  nations,  though  they 
may  possess  a  gift  of  superior  impartiality,  sometimes 
lack  the  necessary  information,  and  on  such  occasions 
the  default  is  made  up  by  the  historic  use  of  the  imagina- 
tion. It  may  be  safely  said,  however,  that  our  own  view 
of  ourselves  is  scarcely  so  diverting  as  that  of  foreigners. 
English  history,  for  example,  to  be  really  comic,  should 
be  written  by  the  feuilletonist  of  a  Paris  journal,  and  the 
essays  of  the  late  Gilbert  a'Beckett  in  caricature-chroni- 
cle labored  in  vain  by  the  side  of  the  works  of  these 
humorous  students  of  British  manners  and  customs.  It 
would  be  worth  the  while  of  some  careful  editor  like 
Mr.  Timbs  to  collect  in  a  volume  the  many  curious 
things  that  have  been  said  of  us  by  our  French  neigh- 
bors, and  certainly  the.y  would  well  deserve  the  title  of 
"things  not  generally  known."  The  latest  contribution 
to  this  interesting  branch,  of  literature  relates  a  highly 
important  fact  with  regard  to  the  Duke  of  Richmond. 
It  is  said  that  among  the  possessions  he  inherited  from 


